University of St Thomas, Minnesota, forges close links with Uni
Pictured signing the Memorandum of Understanding are Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan and Dr Susan Huber, Executive Vice-President and Provost, University of St Thomas Minnesota.
Wed, 05 Feb 2014 13:47:00 GMT
Common ground – both St Thomas’s and the University of Huddersfield enjoy close links with the 3M corporation
CLOSE links have been forged between the University of Huddersfield and the University of St Thomas, in Minnesota, USA. The aim is that there will be exchanges of students between the two ambitious universities and it is expected that there will be research partnerships in fields that include education and business, plus science and engineering.
Two senior figures from the U.S. university have now paid a visit to Huddersfield and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, placing the relationship on a formal footing.
“I believe we can learn a lot from one another as the two institutions have lots of complementary activities,” said the University of Huddersfield’s Professor Liz Towns-Andrews, who played a key role in developing the link with St Thomas.
The University of Huddersfield had already formed an important link with the giant 3M corporation, which has its HQ in Minneapolis. Roger Lacey, who is a former 3M Senior Vice-President for Corporate Strategy, is now a visiting professor at the University of Huddersfield’s Business School. He is also a member of the board of the business school at the University of St Thomas, which has campuses in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul’s.
When Professor Towns-Andrews and University of Huddersfield Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan paid a visit to the 3M HQ, Mr Lacey arranged for them to place the University of St Thomas (pictured below) on their itinerary.
On her return to the UK, Professor Towns-Andrews – who is the University of Huddersfield’s Director of Research and Enterprise – kept in close contact with Dr Eleni Roulis, who is an Associate Vice-President at St Thomas. Dr Roulis has now accompanied the Minnesota university’s Executive Vice-President and Provost, Dr Susan Huber, on a visit to Huddersfield.
They inspected many of the University’s facilities, including its chemistry and engineering departments and the School of Education and Professional Development. These could be key areas for research collaborations and student exchanges. The business schools at the two universities have a shared interest in business ethics and the two U.S. visitors were introduced to the University’s of Huddersfield’s Professor Chris Cowton, who is a leading authority in this field.
Dr Huber and Dr Roulis were also impressed by the University of Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and learned about the encouragement of entrepreneurialism.
Now, members of the academic staff at the two universities will explore ways of developing the relationship.
