Pictured from left are: Carissa Bentley, Executive Director of the JCC Foundation; Jessica Kubiak, JCC Vice President of Academic Affairs; Urban Ahlin, Sweden’s Ambassador to the U.S.; Daniel DeMarte, JCC President; Nick Langworthy, U.S. Representative; Crystal Rose-Wiliams, JCC Interim Vice President for Student Experience; and Jon O’Brian, JCC Professor of History. The group gathered at JCC to celebrate Ahlin’s visit to the area.

JCC President Daniel DeMarte, right, discusses the college’s involvement in Scandinavia studies with Sweden Ambassador Urban Ahlin, center, as Rep. Nick Langworthy listens.

Wednesday, JCC officials discussed some of their successes and goals with Urban Ahlin, Sweden’s ambassador to the U.S., during an in-person visit.

Among those in attendance was JCC History Professor Jon O’Brian.

“We would like to strengthen the college and the wider community’s connection to Sweden,” he said, following the visit.

Some of the topics Ahlin was briefed on included JCC’s Culture Days, which happens once a month on Saturdays, JCC’s international community, as well as opportunities for U.S.-Sweden student exchanges.

During the visit JCC President Daniel DeMarte noted how at one point the college had a strong international presence, but that went away during COVID-19.

“Right before the pandemic we were beginning to peak in the plan that we had put in place. … Then we went down. We’re slowly coming back up,” he said.

In terms of college students, JCC has had students from Sweden, South Africa, Russia, Germany, and more.

Rep. Nick Langworthy was in attendance and joked how many international students and their families may think of the Big Apple when hearing about going to school in New York.

“We’re not Manhattan,” he said.

DeMarte shared how some international students like going to a small school for their first two years and then attend an urban setting for their next two years to complete their Bachelor’s Degree, so JCC fits that bill.

It’s not just international college students that have visited JCC. School officials noted that around 2012, there were around 300 students from Sweden, ages 11-17, that visited the college for a few weeks and actually stayed in the dorms.

The JCC Foundation has a Scandinavia Studies endowment, which was established about 20 years ago. The money helps fund Scandinavian Culture Days, where various events and food is offered for students to learn about and celebrate Swedish culture. O’Brian said he would like to see the Culture Days strengthened with Ahlin’s help. They talked about having various people from Sweden attend virtually and even in person.

Sometimes, JCC has been the host location for the annual Scandinavian Folk Festival. Ahlin was asked if he would be interested in visiting the festival in the future, to which he responded that it’s possible.

O’Brian, who along with being a professor, directs YMCA’s summer camp in Jamestown. He said 25 years ago students visited Stockholm as part of their program. He would like to see something like that return and possibly give the students college credit for participating.

Ahlin thanked everyone for what they shared regarding JCC and said he hopes he will be able to assist in helping the programs grow.