The University of California Berkeley is running virtual exchanges in a number of its Middle Eastern Studies department courses.

The program provides an opportunity, via virtual meeting environments, for Berkeley undergraduates to interact with a diverse group of peers at institutions in rural Morocco (where the late Ambassador served in the Peace Corps), Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan. The program also offers online language conversation exchange for students studying Kurdish and Arabic at Berkeley and students from the region studying English.

• Number of Participants: 156
• Participant Age Group: Undergraduate/Young Adult
• Partners in the Middle East and North Africa: Alexandria University, American University in Beirut, American University in Cairo,  Hillary Clinton Center for Women’s Empowerment and Azrou Center for Community Development at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Iraq Health Aid Organization
• Partners in the United States: Oakland Unified School District
• Project Duration: 19 Months (June 2016 – December 2017)