The University of Johannesburg (UJ) hosted a high-level delegation from the University of Cincinnati (UC), Ohio, USA on Wednesday, 15 May 2019 at UJ’s Auckland Park campus.
Dr Kristi A. Nelson, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, led the UC delegation along with Vice-Provost Raj Mehta, Prof Ana Vamadeva, Prof Jan Fritz and Prof Steve Carlton-Ford. The multidisciplinary conversation (sociology, political science, health science and engineering) came together through the urban impact and innovation quest – a shared view of UJ and UC.
UJ’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research & Internationalisation, Prof Saurabh Sinha welcomed guests and emphasised UJ’s interest for collaboration whether in the form of Distinguished Visiting Academics, joint programs or student exchanges. UJ’s geographical location and strategic direction makes it a prime candidate for joint endeavours.
Said Dr Kristi A. Nelson: ”We take great pride as an urban institution- we are located very close to the centre of Cincinnati. However, our international agenda is very much about understanding what it means as global citizens to exist in an urban environment and how to get our faculties and students involved in international issues by engaging with other global institutions.”
The University of Cincinnati is one of the oldest universities in the world, which turns 200 years old this year. It is a public research university that has almost the same student population as UJ, with an enrolment of more than 44 000 annually.
Earlier this month and as part of UJ’s active attempt to foster international relationships, UJ and Switzerland based University of Zurich explored activities to further the exchange of faculty and students. Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a student mobility agreement that spans five years, the two institutions will explore joint research efforts in areas that include climate change, health, technology and innovation.