The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Central University of Technology, Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, officially have launched a memorandum of understanding to enhance research and academic collaboration.
During a trip to Africa in late August, Tsegaye Tadesse, associate professor of applied climatology at Nebraska, participated in a ceremony for the accord with Arthur Johnson, CTU International Office director. The agreement originally was signed by university officials in October 2015 and is effective through 2020 with the potential for an extension.
“I am elated that the two institutions established a general partnership to facilitate collaborations in teaching, research, student exchange, technology transfer, publication, curriculum development, joint projects and training,” Tadesse said at the event.
The two universities already have seen benefits from the agreement. In September, Solomon Mwagha, a doctoral candidate of CUT, earned his degree; Tadesse was his co-supervisor.
Muthoni Masinde, senior lecturer and head of Department of Information and Technology, said having international students come into and out of the university is an eye opener. It’s an opportunity to see how others complete their studies and research and learn how they overcome challenges.
“We want our students to get a broader spectrum of knowledge beyond Free State, learn and get international exposure,” she said. “This will also change their mindset and approach when they tackle their researchers.”
Nebraska and CUT have already started several research projects, some geared toward drought risk management for the South African Development Community, a cooperation among 15 countries with the goal of promoting sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development.
Tadesse said the two universities should continue to find projects to collaborate on that will help build the African Unit for research on Informatics and Droughts and encourage institutes to come on board in addressing drought risk management for the SADC region.
— Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources; Central University of Technology, Free State, contributed to this report.
More details at: http://snr.unl.edu