"The beautiful reconstructed plazas, pervasive tranquility throughout the city, and friendly people were just a few of the wonderful surprises that greeted us last week," writes Clare Banks from IIE’s Center for International Partnerships in her latest post about her visit to Havana for the Congreso Universidad 2014 conference, a bi-annual event hosted by the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education. The visit included meetings with Cuban higher education institutions and Ministry of Higher Education officials to gauge their interest in a potential IIE International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP).