Meetings this week with Canadian officials could lead to further collaborations between Upper Midwest and Canadian universities. ISU Provost Jonathan Wickert participated in a series of events in Minneapolis April 26-27 with David Johnston, governor general of Canada. Johnston is visiting the Twin Cities, Chicago and Detroit to promote educational excellence and leadership in innovation and research. The meetings included leaders from universities in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Iowa State’s collaborations in Canada include work across the university in areas such as agricultural safety, academic course development, wheat and soybean research and animal disease, as well as student and faculty exchanges. The visit “is a great opportunity to further broaden these relationships, particularly in areas important to the upper Midwest region,” Wickert said in a release.