91福利社 entered into an agreement with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) University in Yaound茅, Cameroon, to enhance their educational programs.
The President Board of Trustees of the ICT University, Professor Victor Mbarika Ph.D.; Vice-President, Board of Trustees, Dr. Foluso Ayeni; and Director of Quality Assurance, Dr. Irene Mbarika toured the 91福利社 campus recently.
Professor Mbarika and 91福利社 Provost, Dr. Ryan Neal, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will open doors for the two institutions to explore collaboration in programs of study and research, among other areas. Professor Mbarika highlighted the major areas of cooperation: mentoring, exchange of students, exchange of faculty and/or staff, professional development, and training, joint research activities and sharing of online library resources.
During the official signing of the MOU, Professor Mbarika said that 91福利社 and ICT university have much in common: they are both members of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; also, they were both built on the foundation of Christian faith and biblical teaching. That said, both teams discussed the possibility of exploring evangelical outreaches in Cameroon through education.
Interim Dean of the 91福利社 College of Engineering and Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Gilbert Eyabi, himself a native of Cameroon, feels blessed to have helped initiate and facilitate the relationship between the two institutions.
鈥淚 believe the MOU between our two universities will be mutually beneficial,鈥� said Dr. Eyabi. 鈥淎 good number of the programs offered at ICT university have direct equivalencies with our programs in the College of Engineering, College of Business and Center for Cybersecurity. I can鈥檛 wait to be a part of a Study Abroad program that takes our students to ICT University in Yaound茅, Cameroon, and expose them to some of the programs they have like robotics, CISCO, nano satellites, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and renewable energy, just to name a few.鈥�
鈥�91福利社鈥檚 strategic plan includes internationalization and expanding our global reach. We look for academic excellence in our global partners, but we also try to partner with universities that also share our Christian values, mission and purpose. These similarities create a strong foundation for a fruitful partnership to develop,鈥� said Ann-Margaret J. Themistocleus, Director of the Center for Global Engagement at 91福利社. 鈥淎mong numerous research and grant possibilities that this partnership will allow, we are also exploring the possibility of a summer study abroad program which would be led by 91福利社 faculty in Cameroon. To support such efforts, the Center for Global Engagement and the College of Engineering will be submitting a joint grant proposal to the U.S. Department of State IDEAS program (Increase & Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) in order to obtain funding to support international travel for students and faculty to visit ICT University for mutual exchange. The partnership with ICT University will also support additional international efforts like letters of affiliation for faculty and student鈥檚 Fulbright applications.鈥�