Central Methodist University entered into a historic partnership this week, signing an international memorandum of understanding with the American University of Nigeria on Wednesday afternoon. President Roger Drake of CMU and Dr. DeWayne Frazier, president and vice chancellor of AUN, signed the agreement in front of a crowd of staff and faculty in the Inman Student and Community Center.
“This is the kind of thing good colleges do,” said Dr. Drake of signing the memorandum, which will remain in effect for a three-year period. “What an honor it is to be positioned in such a way that [Central Methodist] would be attractive to folks like this to partner with an institution in Nigeria – the premiere educational institution in Nigeria.”
Located in Yola, capital of the Nigerian state of Adamawa, AUN is a private university that offers American-style liberal arts education at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels. As a developmental university, AUN also works with world organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations Population Fund, and the World Health Organization to provide aid throughout the region. The university maintains an enrollment of about 1,500 students, more than half of which are women, according to Frazier.
With the signing of the MOU, Central and AUN formally agreed to pursue a mutually beneficial collaboration for education, cooperation, and research activities. The agreement will help facilitate study abroad opportunities for students at both institutions, as well as the exchange of projects and resources.
In a broader sense, the partnership will be one more way for Central to fulfill its mission of fostering a diverse and caring community of lifelong learners prepared to engage in a complex world.
“As educators, we hold dear the responsibility of preparing our students for the life they will forge after graduation,” said Dr. Melissa Mace, CMU vice president for enrollment management. “We teach them to think critically, work across differences, and collaborate. Today, we again model what we teach, as we continue our rich history of collaboration with the signing of the [memorandum of understanding.]”
Frazier expressed his excitement over partnering with Drake – a fellow Kentuckian – and Central to provide new experiences for students from not only Nigeria, but all over the world.
“The students that come here will benefit greatly from a lovely, caring environment that Central has put together,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit for us because international students need a lot of extra support.”
With the help of Xiaobin Dai, CMU’s assistant dean and director of global engagement, as well as the rest of the staff and faculty, international students from AUN and all over the world will continue to receive that support.
“There are a lot of things in common between the needs of our students and the needs of AUN students,” said Drake. “We know how to serve those young people, and we have an incredibly vibrant international program because of that.”
The signing event culminated in an exchange of gifts between the two university presidents and a reception for those in attendance. To learn more about Central’s international student services, visit https://centralmethodist.edu/international/index.html.