Windows on Worlds Virtual Book Launch
In Partnership with the
Office of the Indiana University Bicentennial
Event Registration Required
Join us to celebrate the launch of our very special new publication, Windows on Worlds: International Collections at Indiana University by Patrick O’Meara and Leah K. Peck. Join Patrick and Leah in a virtual book launch as they showcase the book and the unique collections tucked away across the Bloomington campus.
Patrick and Leah have the honor of being joined in conversation with IU President Michael McRobbie and First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie as they discuss their beautiful new book, which is sure to appeal to Hoosiers around the world.
Windows on Worlds: International Collections at Indiana University is the newest publication from Well House Books, a partnership of Indiana University Press and the IU Office of the Bicentennial.
Available from These Retailers and Wherever Books Are Sold
About the Participants
Patrick O'Meara
Professor and Vice President Emeritus Patrick O'Meara is a renowned scholar of international development, comparative politics and African politics. He earned his doctorate in political science at IU in the 1960's, and went on to serve in a number of roles that boosted the university's international presence and engagement. For several decades, O'Meara was the university's ambassador to the world in positions that included dean of International Programs, director of the African Studies Program, IU's first vice president for international affairs, and now, Chairman of the Center for International Education. He created the International Strategic Plan, one of the first such programs in the nation, which focuses on strengthening IU's strategic international partnerships, attracting new international students, and ensuring that IU students are prepared for the global economy.
In 2011, the year of O'Meara's academic retirement, the IU Office of the Vice President for International Affairs created the O'Meara International Lecture Series in recognition of his work in international affairs and to celebrate his legacy of enriching the university's international involvement.
Leah K. Peck
Leah K. Peck worked with Patrick O'Meara while she earned her Ph.D. at Indiana University. Before coming to IU, she was the Assistant Dean at Hamline University's Graduate School of Management, and later, the Campus and Academic Director for The College of St. Scholastica's Twin Cities campus, both located in St. Paul, Minnesota.
While at IU, Leah worked on various international projects for the Office of International Development, and the Center for International Education, Development and Research (CIEDR), and The Center for the Study of Global Change, including research on IU's Title VI competition outcomes. Her dissertation research took her twice to North Macedonia, where she studied higher education capacity development in a post-conflict context.
Dr. Peck's research focuses on international development in higher education and various aspects of university internationalization efforts.
President Michael A. McRobbie
Michael A. McRobbie has served since 2007 as president of Indiana University. He previously served as IU’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer, as vice president for research, and as interim provost of IU Bloomington.
Under McRobbie’s leadership, IU has seen a major expansion in the size, quality, and diversity of its student body; the establishment of ten new schools; a reinvigoration of its global engagement; the construction or renovation of nearly 200 major new facilities across all campuses with a total value of approaching $2.75 billion; and the launch of the highly successful Bicentennial Campaign, which has raised more than $3 billion to help ensure the university’s continued success in its third century.
A native of Australia, McRobbie was inducted as an elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020 and as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012. He was appointed a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in 2016. He currently serves as chair of the board of directors of the Association of American Universities.
First Lady, Laurie Burns McRobbie
As IU’s 18th First Lady, Laurie is an active ambassador for Indiana University and its extensive alumni community, with a particular focus on philanthropy and the growing influence of women. Laurie is a founder of the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council at the Indiana University Foundation and serves as its honorary chair. She holds an adjunct faculty position in IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, where she helped found the ServeIT service-learning clinic and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Indiana University Center of Excellence for Women and Technology (CEW&T) at IU Bloomington. Laurie also holds an adjunct faculty position in the Lilly School of Philanthropy at IUPUI.
IU’s First Lady serves on numerous boards both locally and nationally, including the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, the Riley Children’s Foundation, and serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Indiana Conference for Women. In July of 2017, she was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to the Indiana Arts Commission. Laurie holds a Masters in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Digital Preview of Windows on Worlds
Featuring 10 chapters with over 170 pages of rich art history, this preview highlights a select portion of the first four chapters of Windows on Worlds: International Collections at Indiana University.
