UW Adds Tunisia as International Partner |  
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Jan. 8, 2007 -- A National Guard program pairing American states with Middle Eastern and Islamic countries provides new opportunities for University of Wyoming faculty and students, according to UW's International Programs Director Anne Alexander.
"Wyoming is very aware that globalization is here and is not going away. Our economy as a whole is subject to global forces, whether we're talking about energy, tourism or agriculture. Wyoming pays attention to the rest of the world -- and so does Wyoming's university," Alexander says.
In 2002, Wyoming's National Guard formed a mutually-beneficial partnership with the North African country of Tunisia. As relations between the two expanded from the military sector to civilian life, universities in Wyoming and Tunisia were invited to come aboard.
Last year, UW delegates visited four universities in Tunisia. They returned with three memorandum agreements and a specific summer 2007 opportunity to assist the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education's Language Village in Hammamet.
"The universities have formally agreed to cooperate. Now we need to get people in on the ground," Alexander says.
The language village will be the new partnership's first tangible outcome. The Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education previously sent students to England to hone English language skills, but rising costs forced them to explore other options and Tunisia's language village program was piloted in 2006. This year, a UW group has been invited to travel to the country and help more than 300 Tunisian college students improve their English.
Other ways in which UW and Tunisia may cooperate include faculty and student exchanges and exploring economic opportunities such as entrepreneurship.
"Tunisia is similar to Wyoming in that a lot of young adults came out (of the universities) with degrees -- higher education is free there with high entrance standards -- but they couldn't find jobs in Tunisia so they moved away," Alexander says.
"The focus on entrepreneurship is Tunisia's way of doing what we do here in Wyoming: create your own job if you can't find something you like," she adds.
Alexander says Tunisia has expressed specific interest in the business incubator concept and in technical professions such as computer science and engineering. The Tunisian representatives also have noted environmental and natural resources along with women's studies as areas of concentration.
"Tunisia has the great distinction of being among the first Islamic and Arabic countries to allow women's suffrage and full legal status. Not just the right to vote, but the right to hold public office, get a divorce and own property," she says. "We have a lot in common, it's surprising."
UW recently was awarded a Middle East Partnership Grant. Although specific details of the award are not yet known, Alexander says UW will use the grant to further the partnership with Tunisia.
The new partnership is the latest in a long line of UW's international unions. The university has entered similar agreements with Shanghai Normal University in China, the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, and Saratov, Russia, among others. Alexander says the opportunities afforded by these international partnerships are essential education components in today's "global village" environment.
"(These partnerships) give our students an opportunity become globally literate. Whether they learn another language or not, whether they stay for a few weeks or a whole year, the experience changes their mindset, no matter how culturally similar or dissimilar they are (from home)," she says. "Going abroad gives students a competitive edge."
Photo
Tunisian Sun -- Art students practice drawing in the early morning Tunisian sun in the village of Sidi Bou Said in Tunis, Tunisia. The University of Wyoming recently formed official partnerships with several educational institutions in the North African country of Tunisia and is exploring the faculty and student opportunities they present. (Garth Massey Photo)
Posted on Monday, January 08, 2007
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