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Academic Partnerships with South Africa conference presentation Dr. Ronald J. Turner, Executive Vice President

University of ������ƵSystem, October 20, 1998

University of ������ƵFacts:

• Public Land Grant University

• 4 Campus System

  • Columbia

  • St. Louis

  • Kansas City

  • Rolla

• Statewide Extension Program

• 53,000 students/10,000 degrees annually

• 15,818 staff

• 120 International linkage agreements/80 countries

‌The University of Missouri/ University of the Western Cape Linkage

• Divestment Action by UM Board (1985)

• Historic Agreement Signed (1986)

• Faculty Exchange Program

  – 283 exchanges (1986-1998)

• 10th Anniversary Celebration (1996)

• Student Exchange Component (1997)

• New Partnership Initiative (1997)

   

  ‌UM/UWCFaculty Exchange Program Goals

• To advance mutual understanding between the institutions’ faculties

• To demonstrate the ability to work together in teaching, research, and service.

  ‌Areas of Academic Exchange

  • Academic Development

  • Biology

  • Botany

  • Business

  • Chemistry

  • Conflict Resolution

  • Computer-Aided Instruction

  • Dentistry

  • Economics

  • Education

  • English

  • Geology

  • History

  • Journalism

• Law

• Library Science

• Math

• Nursing

• Oral Tradition

• Pharmacy

• Physics

• Political Science

• Psychology

• Public Administration

• Small Business Development

• Sociology

• Supplemental Instruction

• Women’s Studies

• Writing

   

  ‌UM/UWC Faculty Exchange Summary

   

  283 Exchanges (1986-98)

   

  	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	Total
  UM Faculty	4	6	7	14	11	12	10	11	11	7	9	12	14	128
  UWC Faculty	4	10	11	18	17	25	10	13	13	7	8	8	11	155
  Total	8	16	18	32	28	37	20	24	24	14	17	20	25	283

   

  ‌Barriers Overcome by the Faculty Exchange Program

  • Intellectual isolation imposed by apartheid

  • Prior to 1986 UWC had limited international experience and no institutional policy or structure to support international programs

  • Faculty resistance on both sides

  • International academic boycott

  • Distrust of U.S. institutions.

    ‌Program Recognition

    • Recognized as a model by the U.S. Information Agency

    • Selected as a model program by the Institute for International Education

      ‌Comments by UM & UWC Faculty Participants

    • UWC participant statement:

      “As a researcher, I gained information and contacts otherwise unavailable. The overall exchange program gave esteem and progress to our staff and contributed to academic excellence. It built confidence for people who might never have had contact at the level of real contact with colleagues.”

    • UM participant statement:

      “I believe one hallmark of a successful academic exchange to be the inability to discern which end receives the most benefit -- the visitor or the visitee. In the instance of this visit our objective was to teach, but the learning on our part most assuredly matched, if not exceeded, that of the participants in the course we taught.”

       

      ‌Developing, Sustaining and Evaluating Academic Linkage

    • Linkage is like marriage

    • Partners must:

      • Be compatible/work together

      • Share interests

      • Share commitment

      • Communicate/listen

      • Share resources

      • Take a long-term view

      • Maintain mutual respect

      • Assess the quality of the relationship

      • Trust

      • Care

‌A Few Key Linkage Questions

1. What is the motive for the linkage?

2. What are the mutual benefits?

3. What is expected by and of each partner?

4. What is the funding source?

5. How will the linkage outcome be evaluated?

6. Will this be a long-term relationship?

7. What factors will help insure success of the linkage?

‌Factors Contributing to the Success of the UM/UWC Faculty Exchange Program

• Formal Agreement Based on Mutual Benefit

• Joint Planning and Effective Communication

• Clear Focus x2

  • Research, Teaching, Service

  • Faculty Exchange

  • Student Exchange

  • Administrative Exchange

  • Curriculum Priorities

  • Developing Staff/Senior Staff

    ‌Factors Contributing to the Success of the UM/UWC Faculty Exchange Program

• Academic Policy Context

• Academic Leadership x2

• Institutional Commitment x2

  • Governing Board

  • Executive

  • Faculty

  • Funding

• Management/Operational Plan x2

• Financial Plan x2

• Impact Assessment x2

‌UWC’s Assessment of the Program

“There is no doubt in my own mind that the affiliation has indeed been one of very great importance and value to UWC. It served as the spur that made UWC create the necessary infrastructure for its international relations operation, and it was handled in such a way that UWC was afforded the dignity to develop the confidence to take its place in the international academic arena. (Missouri’s) decision to forge the UWC link was also a very brave and principled one.”

Jakes Gerwell Rector

University of the Western Cape October 1991