US delegation visits UA to mark 30 years of partnership
On Monday 16 March, the University of Angers welcomed a delegation from Appalachian State University (North Carolina) to mark the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the two institutions. Discussions focused on new avenues for cooperation, particularly regarding sustainable development and its integration into degree programmes.
Françoise Grolleau, third from the right, and the International Office welcomed an American delegation on Monday 16 March: Jeffrey Cohen, on the left, and Neva Specht, in the centre.The US delegation, led by Neva Specht, Vice-President, and Jeffrey Cohen, Head of International Relations, was welcomed in the morning at La Passerelle on the Belle-Beille campus. This provided an opportunity for Catherine Passirani, Vice-President for International Affairs and Equality, and her team to present the diversity of courses offered at UA, to explore new areas of cooperation relating to sustainable development, food and nursing, and to highlight the importance of the partnership established with Appalachian State University, notably with the launch of American Month in 2012.
“This short programme is delivered by lecturers from AppState, who come to UA with a group of American students,” explains Adeline Chailleux, International Cooperation Officer. “They join a class of UA students, who thus benefit from the programme’s teaching as an integral part of their own studies. Historically, it was the Faculty of Law, Economics and Business, Studies, and later the IAE School of Business Administration, that hosted them for a month.”
Since its launch, more than a hundred American students have been welcomed through this programme, whilst nearly 70 students from UA and Appalachian State University have been able to benefit from the exchange programme in place between the two schools.
Following a guided tour of the Belle-Beille campus, the delegation signed a new agreement with UA for the organisation of the next American Month, also known as the Summer Business Programme, which will be hosted this year by Innto Esthua from 11 to 22 May. “Appalachian State University is a key long-standing partner with whom we must continue to develop new joint projects,” concluded Françoise Grolleau, President of UA.
