A new book by Naomi Sakr, Transformations in Egyptian Journalism (I.B. Tauris, 2013), should be required reading for American public diplomacy specialists who want to engage Egyptians through the media. Bilingual Sakr, a media policy professor at the University of Westminster and director of its CAMRI Arab Media Centre, draws on new research and decades’ experience tracking Arab media trends to offer a readout on how Egyptian journalists and their employers have been struggling and coping yet also innovating since the 2011 revolution.

Despite efforts to reduce the cost of a college degree, the price tag remains unthinkable for many. And it’s not just the cost of tuition, but also the extras like spending a year, a semester or even a summer in a foreign country. At a time when it seems as if every American college and university has a study abroad program or has agreements with institutions that offer the experience, one has to wonder: Is it worth it?

Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is eager to rub elbows with first ladies from other countries to improve mutual understanding. “I wish to build friendships with the wives of other leaders by going beyond politics and without being bound by political debates by our husbands who are responsible for national interests,” she said.

It has been 6 years since my Washington Ireland Program (WIP) journey began. I was standing on a hockey pitch in freezing Scotland, clambering into my not-so-flattering goalkeeper gear, when Kate Hardie-Buckley (WIP '07) came running up to me and declared that I had 'W.I.P.' written across my forehead.

Before traveling to Oman on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) Program, Dylan Hoey had never left the United States. Yet through this YES Abroad experience, Dylan proved he could not only live in another country but thrive there. “I think what I’ve taken from Oman is a newfound sense of confidence,” says Dylan. “I have a clearer sense of what I want to do in my life, what I want to achieve career-wise, and what truly makes me happy.

Forty teenage girls from the Middle East are visiting P.E.I. as part of a special language and cultural exchange program. It's a partnership between UPEI, the International Language Institute, and the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The 16- and 17-year-old girls are from the United Arab Emirates, and are living in residence at UPEI. Serena Lambert, academic advisor for the International Language Institute, said the program is highly competitive.

Though things sure aren’t looking good for US universities, Wisconsin has it unusually bad. Decades of plummeting investment in higher education has left it among the US’s 10 worst states. Fear of debt mean Wisconsin students are balking at paying for college, denting revenue even more. But what can Wisconsin universities do to drum up funding? The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a plan.