91�鶹��, Morocco’s Université Internationale de Rabat continue to grow successful partnerships

Officials from Morocco’s Université Internationale de Rabat and 91�鶹�� University celebrate the continuation of their successful research and academic partnerships, as well as potential collaborations, during a recent visit by 91�鶹�� personnel to Morocco. (Submitted photo)

Contact: James Carskadon

A banner celebrating 91�鶹�� and UIR's partnership

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Building upon years of collaboration, 91�鶹�� University and Morocco’s Université Internationale de Rabat are continuing to develop new academic partnerships, resulting in new opportunities for faculty and students at both universities.

A recent delegation representing 91�鶹��’s Office of the Provost, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures visited Morocco to further develop this relationship between the two universities. The 91�鶹�� delegation also was given the opportunity to meet with Morocco’s minister of culture and communication, Mohammed El Araj.

“91�鶹�� has a strong commitment to international engagement,” said Julie Jordan, 91�鶹�� associate vice president for international programs and director of the International Institute. “Our seven-year relationship with UIR stands as a model for international partnerships. We are especially excited to expand the academic collaboration to include archeology, anthropology, and middle eastern cultures with UIR and Morocco’s Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine, or INSAP. Morocco’s rich history and culture make it an exceptional location for our students to explore some of mankind’s earliest civilizations.”

A recent major archaeological discovery has created renewed emphasis on the field in Morocco. In 2017, what are believed to be the oldest homo sapien remains were discovered in the country. At over 300,000 years old, the remains are significantly older than any other known homo sapien remains. 91�鶹�� is working with UIR and INSAP, Morocco’s national organization for teaching, training and research in archeology, to contribute expertise from 91�鶹�� faculty members and provide new study abroad opportunities for students.

“UIR made the connection for us, so we’re working with them to develop a study abroad exercise in which the students spend a month working on digs and the rest doing cultural integration and language immersion,” said Peter Ryan, 91�鶹�� associate provost for academic affairs and interim dean of the Graduate School.

The 91�鶹�� delegation included Morocco native Hsain Ilahiane, head of the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures Department, and department faculty members Jimmy Hardin and Shane Miller, both of whom have expertise in Middle Eastern cultures and prehistoric archaeology.

During the visit, 91�鶹�� Political Science and Public Administration Department Head Eddie French and Assistant Professor Mike Potter met with UIR officials to discuss potential academic partnerships. In addition to the anthropology and political science partnerships, Ryan said the two universities are continuing to discuss potential collaborations in business, agriculture and education, among other fields.

91�鶹�� and UIR launched a program in 2015 that allows Moroccan students to study at 91�鶹�� to earn a diploma of engineering from UIR and a master’s degree from 91�鶹��. Approximately 60 students have come to 91�鶹�� through the engineering program, and more than a dozen Moroccan students have stayed at 91�鶹�� to enroll in a doctoral program. Since the academic program began, Morocco has become one of the top 10 countries sending students to 91�鶹��, allowing for increased cultural exchange between students at both universities.

In 2017, the 91�鶹��-UIR partnership received the Institute of International Education’s Andrew Heiskell Award for International Partnerships, a recognition of the top partnerships in international education.

“The economic development potential with working in that part of the world is huge, not only for our graduates, but also for research here at 91�鶹��,” Ryan said. “We’ve really solidified the relationship between UIR and 91�鶹��, and we’re glad to see their leaders have been extremely helpful and see the significance of this relationship. We’re poised to expand it.”

More information on 91�鶹��’s global initiatives, led by the university’s International Institute, can be found at .

91�鶹�� is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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