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IU McKinney has signed a letter of intent with officials from the Burmese American Community Institute. The agreement, entered into on July 10, 2019, welcomes Myanmar law graduates to apply for enrollment in the Master of Laws, or LL.M., program beginning in Spring 2020.

All Myanmar law graduates will be considered for a Dean's Scholarship. The amount of each individual scholarship is determined by the strength of the applicant's academic record.

"I am delighted to build a collaboration with the Burmese American Community Institute," said Dean Andrew R. Klein. "B.A.C.I. is well regarded for its community engagement, and we look forward to welcoming students from Myanmar in years to come."

“Our relationship with the Burmese American Community Institute is an example of IU McKinney’s commitment to internationalization and community engagement, and to our global reach," said Vice Dean Karen Bravo. "We are looking forward to welcoming the students to the IU McKinney community.”   

Elaisa Vahnie, Executive Director of the Burmese American Community Institute, talked about the need for Myanmar to continue to strengthening its democratic institutions, and he sees the partnership with IU McKinney as a step in that process. "We like to view this as building a nation, not merely as education," Vahnie said. "We are excited about this partnership, but this is only the beginning." The goal is to train young people with professional educations to lead in various sectors, such as government, non-profits, and business.

Ro Dinga, Chair of the B.A.C.I board, talked a bit about the organization's history; it was founded in 2011 by Lun Peiper, '09. She was the first person originally from Burma to graduate from IU McKinney. "We have worked hard to develop a Burmese society here," he said. Around 20,000 Burmese immigrants call Indianapolis home, and Indiana is home to one of the largest populations of Burmese immigrants in the nation. "We are very happy to have a good relationship with IU McKinney."

"This is a dream come true," Pieper said of the signing of the agreement between B.A.C.I. and IU McKinney. She emphasized the need for attorneys in Burma to receive international legal training. Pieper is a Staff Attorney in the Indiana Supreme Court Office of Judicial Administration, and previously serves as the Burmese Outreach Director and as a Deputy Prosecutor in the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.

The Burmese community in Indianapolis can count another IU McKinney alumna among its connections. Nguyen Thi My Hao, LL.M. '19, works at B.A.C.I. with their family reunification efforts.

Sara Kurtz Allaei, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for International Affairs at IUPUI, said she was pleased to see the campus involvement with B.A.C.I. "To play a role in the development of a country like Myanmar, it's exciting to be at the nexus."

In the photo at left are, from left Vice Dean Karen Bravo, Dean Andrew R. Klein, Executive Director of the Burmese American Community Institute Elaisa Vahnie, and Ro Dinga, Chair of the B.A.C.I Board of Directors.