Minnesota’s Door to The World M INNESOTA INTERNAT IONAL CENTER | 1

SUMMER EDITION 2010 | Inspiring our Community to Understand Global Issues and Cultures in an Ever Changing Wor ldwww.micglobe.org | 612.625.4421

Our Most Successful Benefit To-DateI am happy to share my personal connections with Malaysia, to showcase what Malaysia is about - multi-cultural, multi-racial, and becoming more transparent. We are maturing as a country. - Sharon Lim, MIC benefit chair who grew up in Penang and lived in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur

305 friends of MIC took part in our Celebration of Malaysia on Saturday, June 19 at the home of Bob and Polly McCrea. The weather was sensational and attendees enjoyed Dikir Barat singing (by the Malaysian Student Association of the University of Minnesota), Bharatanatyam dance pieces (by students of Ragamala Dance), and a Lion Dance (by the Ha Family Lion Dance Troupe). Much to the enjoyment of all, Chef Tong, head chef for Peninsula Restaurant and consultant chef for our menu, hand threw roti canai bread. Various Malaysian dignitaries were in attendance, including Nor’Aini Abd. Hamid, deputy chief of mission for the Embassy of Malaysia in Washington, D.C., Melissa Wong, from Malaysian Airlines, and Salinda Sany, from Tourism Malaysia. This year’s live auction was a tremendous success with lively bidding between two couples for a Shanghai Getaway which resulted in a second trip being donated; a fabulous package trip to Kuala Lumpur, including full VIP access passes to the 2010 Monsoon Cup yacht race; and a dinner in Washington, D.C. with the Malaysian Ambassador. The bottom line is that this year’s benefit raised $218,000 in gross revenue to support MIC’s international education programs, including $9,000 specifically for MIC’s World Cultures Days in K-12 classrooms throughout the state. Our grateful thanks are given to Bob and Polly McCrea for the use of their property, Sharon Lim and her benefit committee, Julie and Doug Baker, Jr, for being Honorary Chairs, and to all who made this event the success that it was.

A Trip to RememberKaren Lokkesmoe and Bob Amick, MIC members andlucky winners of last year’s raffle

There is so much to say that one hardly knows where to begin. Contrasts are the re-curring theme. Cairo – busy, vibrant, noisy, hot and the site of so much amazing history. We vis-ited mosques, churches, bazaars, and of course, the Pyramids and the

Egyptian Museum housing the Tutankhamen exhibit. We loved it all! Doha, Qatar – a quiet, peaceful jewel on the Gulf. So new and so much growth. The Museum of Islamic Arts is definitely a must-see. Doha was a fascinating place. Lucky for us, it wasn’t really the hot season. Abu Dhabi and Dubai, UAE – despite having much in com-mon, they are quite different - rather like New York and a combi-nation of L.A. and San Francisco – only much newer; Abu Dhabi is more laid back and has fewer sky scrapers and shopping malls. Our favorites included the Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the souks in Dubai. We saw impressive architecture everywhere and thoroughly en-joyed meeting people and sampling the cuisine. Thanks MIC!

MIC’S 2011 BENEFIT COUNTRY IS FRANCE

MIC’s World Travel RaffleWin a roundtrip transpacific flight for two. You won’t win unless you buy a raffle ticket!

Last year, one lucky MIC supporter bought a $20 raffle ticket and traveled with a com-panion to Dubai! Could it be you this year?

MIC Corporate Member Delta Airlines has once again donated a voucher for TWO ROUNDTRIP TRANSPACIFIC coach class tickets, available to use before May 26, 2011, with no blackout dates. Raffle tickets are only $20. Our goal is to raise $15,000 in sup-port of our popular K-12 education program. By entering the raffle you will be bringing the world to Minnesota’s classrooms - and possibly sending yourself somewhere around the world! The raffle drawing will take place at the 10th WorldQuest International Trivia Competition on October 29, 2010, but the winning ticket holder does not need to be present at the drawing. Official rules can be found at www.micglobe.org. To purchase your raffle tickets, send cash or check (payable to “MIC”) to MIC, or visit our office during business hours (M-Th 10-5; Fri 10-1 during the summer). When you purchase by mail, we will send the numbered ticket stubs back to you as proof of purchase. MIC’s address is: 711 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455

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We are wrapping up another year of strong programming, produced with the help of our wonderful volunteers and our “can do” spirit. We’ve had yet another sold-out WorldQuest contest; a series of excellent public

events including presentations by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki, ambassador of Japan to the U.S.; more than 400 international visitors meeting in Minnesota with their professional peers on topics as diverse as human trafficking to climate change; a Great Decisions conference in St. Cloud, and a fantastic Celebration of Malaysia gala. We continue to look for innovative

ways to bring our mission to life and into our communities. This year we sponsored an amazing Malaysian feast at Peninsula Restaurant and hosted several receptions for MIC members so that they could meet face to face with various international visitors, including visitors from the Asia/Pacific region studying American foreign policy and trends, African women leaders studying women and the law; and Pakistani members of Parliament here to discuss young political leaders and the U.S. policy-making process. We are also working to provide increased value to our corporate members, creating the first corporate WorldQuest at General Mills, with 32 teams and cosponsoring a variety of corporate seminars with Dorsey & Whitney; KPMG; Faegre & Benson; and Fredrikson & Byron on such diverse topics as tax reform

and international business; doing business in Japan and Korea; and the green movement in the context of international business. We are sincerely thankful for our successful year, which wouldn’t have happened without your continued support. I look forward to seeing you at one of our member events during the coming year.

Letter from the President

Carol Engebretson Byrne President, Minnesota International Center

MIC Contributors & Corporate Members

Sponsor: General Mills, Inc.Emcee: Tom Crann of Minnesota Public Radio’s All Things Considered When: Fri, October 29; Registration 6:30 PWhere: McNamara Alumni Center, U of M (East Bank), 200 Oak St SE, MinneapolisCost: $35 per person/$250 per team Students: $20 per person/$140 per teamRegistration: Priority registration opens to MIC Members ONLY on Mon, August 9. Public registration opens on Thurs, September 9Register online at www.micglobe.org or by phone at 612.625.4421. Due to high demand for this event, teams MUST register and complete full payment in advance to secure their team’s spot.

Friday, October 29

WorldQuest 2010 Mark your calendars for

Friday, October 29, as MIC holds the 10th edition of WorldQuest.

Recruit your brainiest friends to form teams of

8 and test your collective international knowledge against foreign policy

buffs, international nonprofits, global corporations, community groups, college students and the internationally curious. While WorldQuest is no doubt a great opportunity for you to learn new facts while socializing with friends, gain bragging rights among internationally-minded Minnesotans, and win fabulous team and door prizes, it is also the primary annual fundraiser for MIC’s World Cultures Days, which enable international speakers to give cultural presentations in classrooms statewide. Topics for WorldQuest 2010 will include: world events, flags and capitals, geography, people in the news, the 2010 Great Decisions Topics, and MIC’s 2011 focus country, France. Access sample quest ions from past games at www.micglobe.org,

Frank R. Cella Awards MIC Great Decisions group led by Randy Czeswik is the recipient of one of the first Foreign Policy Association Frank R. Cella Memorial Awards for Great Decisions discussion groups. This award acknowledged five Great Decisions discussion groups nationally, thus sharing their contributions and example with the rest of the Great Decisions network. MIC’s group began12 years ago through the efforts of MIC volunteers Rich Dethmers and Tom Hanson. It became pivotal in the expansion of MIC’s Great Decisions program to 60 locations in Minnesota. Additionally, this group generated a number of outstanding presenters who are called upon as speakers on foreign policy topics in this and other groups. MIC congratulates this group for “setting the pace” in MIC’s Great Decisions program and recognizes the skillful leadership of Randy Czeswik as well as those involved in the developmental stages of this group. For more information about MIC’s Great Decisions program, visit www.micglobe.org and click on Locate a Great Decisions Group.

Great Decisions News

and hints and practice questions may be given on MIC’s Facebook page. The event sells out each year, so recruit and register your team now! (MIC will organize teams for participants who register as individuals.)

Premier ($50,000+)Delta Air Lines, Inc.Medtronic, Inc./Medtronic Foundation

Millennium ($30,000+)3M/3M FoundationBest Buy Co., Inc./Best Buy Children’s FoundationGeneral Mills, Inc./General Mills Foundation

Senior Global ($20,000+)CargillCarlson Companies and The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Global ($15,000+) Sit Investment Associates, Inc.

Executive ($10,000+) Education Minnesota FoundationThe Mosaic CompanyTravelers Foundation

Leadership Patron ($5,000+) Colwell Industries, Inc.Donaldson Co., Inc.Dorsey & Whitney LLP/Dorsey & Whitney Foundation

Ecolab Inc./Ecolab FoundationFaegre & Benson LLPGeorge Family FoundationThe Lakeland CompaniesPropel Event Transportation ManagementTarget CorporationThe Toro CompanyUnited Health GroupU.S. Bank/Elavon

Contributing Patron ($2,500+) David Winton Bell FoundationFredrikson & Byron, P.A.KPMG LLPRobins, Kaplan, Miller & CiresiWanner Engineering

Associate Patron ($1,000+)ACIST Medical Systems

Athwin FoundationBellcomb Technologies, Inc.Bepex International LLCC.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.DatacardGray Plant MootyImationMedicaMinneapolis Area Association of REALTORSPolaris IndustriesRosen’s Diversified, Inc. St. Jude Medical

Associate ($500+)Global Language InstituteHamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C.Horton Holding, Inc.iCre8, Inc.TripleInkWatermark Initiative, LLC

Sponsoring Hotels The Marquette HotelRadisson Plaza Hotel

Why Wouldn’t We?In His Own Words John LaLiberté, retiring principal of Kaposia Education Center and longtime World Cultures Days supporter

At about the same time as Kaposia was analyzing its gifted program with a view to becoming an International Baccalaureate School, a 3rd grade teacher, Sherry Zittlow , came to me and reported that she had had a fabulous international speaker in her classroom for a presentation and that it was possible to have a full day of such presentations, provided by the Minnesota International Center. Because the ethnicity of our student population had been changing rapidly, I felt that it would be a very positive thing to have this kind of World Cultures Day to expose our students and staff to other cultures. This conversation happened to coincide with a series of overseas trips that I had made with my family to France and Ireland. Each time, we had had a wonderful experience with the history, culture and observation of the people and all that brings to you. So I said, “Sherry, let’s do this. It’s going to benefit our kids, our staff and it’s going to give our students an experience that they wouldn’t have, and because it’s going to be all day as opposed to half hour or 45 minutes, they’re going to be immersed.” Those were the reasons behind our decision to welcome World Cultures Days into our school. With Kaposia’s new status as an International Baccalaureate World School, World Cultures Day reinforces the need to be globally minded, the need to be inquirers, the need to be communicators, open minded, and to care. All of these are profiles that International Baccalaureate promotes. These profiles and attitudes are discussed with the students and our kids use them. To me it was a perfect fit. Why wouldn’t we do something like this which is a positive experience for our students? What I think is interesting is we now have parents coming in to see what’s happening because their kids talk about it. I was speaking with one of the 6th graders earlier this year and he said, “I can’t wait until tomorrow, ‘cos tomorrow is World Cultures Day. I love that it is so fun; it’s such a great day to see these people come from other parts of the world to teach us about their cultures, cities and lives.” This is a 6th grader and most 6th graders wouldn’t verbalize that something at school is cool. It is cool and when you have a 6th grader who is looking forward to World Cultures Day that speaks volumes to me. In the beginning, there was some push back from staff such as, why are we doing

Minnesota’s Door to The World M INNESOTA INTERNAT IONAL CENTER | 3

Summer Edition 2010 | Communiqué

Fran Paulu, MIC’s executive director from 1972 to 1988, recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Fran led MIC during a formative time, when the number of international participants and programs were on the rise, and when MIC was transitioning into a strengthened organizational structure. In a personal letter to Fran, Sherry Mueller, president of the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV), wrote: This is a perfect time to say “Happy Birthday” and to convey my best wishes for the coming year. It is also an ideal time to convey my admiration for you and your work and my appreciation for all you

have done over the years to advance the cause of citizen diplomacy—in the state of Minnesota and at the national level. NCIV is in the midst of a two-year 50th Anniversary observance. One of our goals is to recognize the contributions of NCIV network leaders who have been key to NCIV’s half century of accomplishment as communities across the United States have welcomed strangers and sent home friends. You are certainly one of those leaders.” Our hats are off to you, Fran, for your many years of leadership and inspiration!

Fran Paulu Turns 90!

this? When we first did it, it was in the middle of week, the kids were over-excited, and the teachers were overwhelmed. Now we do it just before or after break. There were complaints about how it went, but my message was, “Did you like it?” The majority of people liked it …BUT. Then the “buts” stopped and it boiled down to some of the organizational pieces. We have managed through that so I don’t hear, “Yes, but” any more, I just hear this is a fun day not only for the kids but for the staff too. Does it interfere with the normal school day? Yes, but let’s look at the bigger picture and what it brings our school. That’s probably why we’re the school that has the longest history with World Cultures Day . It is just such a fun and positive experience that why wouldn’t we do that each and every year? I think that it’s important for our kids of color to be seeing other people of color. From a staff standpoint we are very white even though we’ve looked for teachers of different ethnic backgrounds. By bringing in adults from varied cultures, we model for our students that we are open. Even though these people are from some other part of the world, they are not unlike us. The speakers from MIC have a great deal of pride in their countries. They are here for a short while to learn about our country so that they

can go back and use their experience in their own homeland. Making connections between cultures reinforces the profiles. To help create that curiosity and use that curiosity to become an inquirer about our world; to do that here in South St. Paul, with a dream and a hope, why wouldn’t we?

John Laliberte John LaLiberté has been an educator in the South St. Paul school district for 33 years, as a high school teacher of psychology and social studies, and a dean/counselor, before becoming principal at Kaposia Education Center in June 1998. He retired in June 2010. In retirement, he will be pursuing his interest in gardening and landscape design, and planning a trip to Germany in 2011.

Kaposia Education Center Kaposia has been hosting World Cultures Days since 2005 and has welcomed more than 125 of MIC’s international speakers.

As the new fiscal year begins we bid a fond farewell to a group of Directors who have been instrumental in MIC’s success:

Robert Golian, vice president of Human Resources, Nestlé HealthCare Nutrition, Inc. Peter C. Hawthorne, vice president, Strategy & Business Development, Cargill, Inc. Rohan Kalbag, regional vice president Upper Midwest, Wells Fargo Bank, NA Sharon Lim Robert Manning, principal, Global Perspective Phillip J. Mason, president, International Sector, Ecolab, Inc. Robert H. Scarlett, president, Medical Equipment Exporters, Inc.

At the same time, we welcome new Directors who will help ensure the continued strength of the organization:

Wendy Bennett, International Programs consultant, Medtronic Foundation Kenn Damgaard, senior vice president, Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Jeanette Leehr, president, Via International Consul General Silvia Ontaneda-Andrade, Consulate General of Ecuador to Minnesota Prakash Puram, managing director, Chrysalis KPI International Mindy Rechelbacher Angelica Della Grazia Volpi Donovan Walsh, president and executive management consultant, The Financial Services Consulting Group

We are also pleased to announce Robert W. Sit, vice president, Research and Investment Management, Sit Investment Associates, Inc. has become the Vice Chair and Chair-Elect of the MIC Board of Directors.

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The Dark Nightingale Thurs, August 26 - Sun, September 5

MIC members can enjoy a special discount on tickets to a presentation of The Dark Nightingale by Jawaahir Dance Company, featuring the music of the beloved late Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez, performed by the renowned Georges Lammam Ensemble, virtuosic Arabic musicians from across the nation. The program includes dances by the Company, Jawaahir’s founder Cassandra, and Spanish guest artist Nesma al-Andalus. Where: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE, MplsTickets: $28 ($3 off for MIC members in advance or at the door; code is MIC) Box Office: 612.436.1129 or www.ritzdolls.com; more information available at www.jawaahir.org

The Great Game: Afghanistan Wed, September 29 - Sun, October 17

The Guthrie Theater is presenting The Great Game: Afghanistan, which explores Afghan culture and history in an enthralling three-part event. Each part of the trilogy is made up of four one-act plays, each by a different playwright, each exploring a critical period of modern Afghan history. Part 1: Invasions and Independence, covers the years from 1842 to 1930Part 2: Communism, the Mujahideen and the Taliban, covers 1979 to 1996 Part 3: Enduring Freedom, covers the years from 1996 to the present When: Each presented as a separate evening of theater with all three parts consecutively on weekends. Wed-Fri shows at 7:30 P. Curtain times for Sat and Sun are 11:30 A,

3:00 and 7:30 P.Cost: $30-120 (single/multiple part options available). Order at 612.377.2224 and quote “A: Partner” to save 15% on single part tickets Not valid online, with other offers or on previously purchased tickets. Handling fees may apply.

Afghanistan: The Challenge of Human RightsTues, October 11; 7:30 PA panel discussion on Afghanistan related to Part 3 of The Great Game: Afghanistan, moderated by Joe Dowling Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 S 2nd St, MplsCost: $10 in advance or at the door; free admission for ticket-holders of The Great Game: Afghanistan

DETAILS AND LINKS FOR ALL EVENTS AVAILABLE ON MIC’S WEBSITE WWW.MICGLOBE.ORG

SUMMER EDITION 2010

Inspiring our Community to Understand Global Issues and Cultures in an Ever Changing Wor ld

Member Specials

Save the Date

Connect with MIC via LinkedInMIC also has a LinkedIn group and we encourage members to connect with each other via this professional social networking site.

International Trade Networking Cocktails Tues, September 14, 2010 Tues, December 7, 2010 Tues, February 8, 2011 Tues, May 10, 2011

In conjunction with the U.S. Commercial Service and the District Export Council. Topics: To be confirmedWhere: Radisson Plaza Hotel, downtown MinneapolisWhen: 5:30 - 7:30 P

Great Decisions State Conference Fri, October 15

Topic: Emerging Trends in U.S. Foreign Policy with speaker Tom Hanson Where: TIES Conference Center, St. Paul

Save the Dates News from the Board of Directors