Professional Exchange Programs

A brief introduction to the Professional Exchange Program (PEP) is provided below. If you are interested in the possibility of contracting with PEP to develop a program specifically tailored to meet your organization’s needs, please contact Linda Rotunno, Director, at:

Professional Exchange Programs
Institute of International Education
Suite 650
1400 K Street, NW
Washington DC 20005

Tel: (202) 898-0600
Fax: (202) 326-7696
E-mail: profexchg@iie.org

Overview
The Institute of International Education (IIE), founded in 1919, is a not-for-profit educational exchange organization dedicated to fostering international cooperation and economic development through professional and academic exchanges, training, publications, and other services.

The IIE Professional Exchange Programs Division (PEP) designs and implements short-term international exchange programs for leaders and specialists from abroad. IIE's strength is its ability to match the vast resources of the United States with the specific needs of program participants from around the world. IIE combines the development of a professionally appropriate and stimulating program with precise attention to logistics. This enables visitors to absorb and benefit fully from their professional program in an effort to apply the knowledge and skills of what they learned upon returning to their home countries.

In 1972, IIE was awarded a cooperative agreement by the United States Information Agency (USIA) to administer part of the prestigious International Visitor Program. Since then, the PEP staff, in close partnership and consultation with their U.S. government colleagues, and in cooperation with the National Council for International Visitors affiliates and other local sponsors, have designed and implemented creative and successful programs for thousands of participants. In addition to the International Visitor Program, the PEP staff has developed and administered high visibility programs for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the German Marshall Fund, USIA's Office of Citizen Exchanges as well as for public and private, foreign and domestic organizations.

Over the years, IIE has developed its resources in a wide variety of relevant fields, including trade, economics, politics, higher education, and journalism, while at the same time establishing expertise in managing the logistical arrangements for both large and small groups. IIE's professional staff has a demonstrated capacity to implement an integrated program, including the important cultural and social components, which enables participants to develop an appreciation and understanding of American history and heritage and to establish enduring relationships and lines of communication with U.S. counterparts.

Objectives
PEP provides:

• opportunities for foreign leaders and specialists to discuss substantive issues with their U.S. counterparts

• an accelerated learning experience designed to generate cooperative relationships

• a comprehensive exploration of key information sources, including professional associations and electronic networks, that encourages continued collaboration

• a thorough understanding of the cultural context and current practice of a profession in the United States

Methods
Programs include:

• discussions that offer a conceptual framework for analyzing the professional field

• site visits to diverse organizations and institutions that illustrate the concepts highlighted in the discussions

• cultural activities that illustrate U.S. values and traditions and complement the professional activities

Expertise
PEP has extensive expertise organizing programs in:

• trade, entrepreneurship and economic development

• management, marketing, and economic policy

• politics, pluralism, and the U.S. political process

• education and university administration

• resource management and environmental protection

• substance abuse and trafficking control

• telecommunications