Mekelle University (MU) and Cortland University (CU) of New York signed an agreement of partnership.

Mekelle University (MU) and Cortland University (CU) of New York signed an agreement of partnership

During Dr. Kindeya’s visit from Binghamton (New York) on 22 August, 2016, another MoU has been signed with Cortland University. The MoU is the result of several months negotiations between the two universities which was made on the grounds of reciprocity and expresses the interest of both parties in exchanging scholars, academic information, and materials in the belief that the research and educational process at both the institutions can be enhanced in a way that mutual understanding between their respective scholars will be increased.

The universities agreed to encourage the development of the following exchange programs based on their respective academic and educational needs:

• Exchange of staff members
• Cortland University faculty members invited to serve on the editorial board of future journals housed at MU
• Cortland University faculty being invited to serve on thesis/dissertation committees
• Mekelle University faculty being invited as speakers and visiting scholars to Cortland University
• Encourage research projects between faculty at CU and MU
• Exchange of academic information and materials
• Organization of joint conferences
• Organization of other academic exchanges agreeable to both universities

The parties recognize that the implementation of any exchange program will depend upon the academic interests and expertise of individual faculty members and upon the availability of financial resources. Accordingly, the implementation of each exchange program based on this agreement shall be separately negotiated and determined by both universities.

During the meeting of Dr. Kindeya and Dr. Mary Schlarb (the director of the International Programs Office at CU), the MoU ceremony was made with an emphasize on the master programs at CU among which “Adolescence Education”, “Communication Disorders”, “English”, “Health” and “History” were highlighted by Dr. Kindeya as the preferred areas for MU. The MoU was another success for Mekelle University given that Cortland University agreed on giving priorities to MU applicants when applying for a scholarship at CU as well as waiving the application fee.

The tandem dean of the College of Business and Economics, Dr. Hossein Azadi who has initiated this partnership was also with Dr. Kindeya Gebrehiwot during the meeting. Dr. Hossein will pursue further negotiations with the chairs of different master programs at CU in order to facilitate getting master admissions for MU applicants as well as organizing the visit for CU directorates from Mekelle University in the near future.

Author: CCM, Mekelle University