Mount Kenya University has partnered with Unites States's Clarke University and Loras College in an exchange programme.
Chairman and founder Simon Gicharu said such partnerships are critical in nurturing students and giving them a career boost.
“I urge MKU and Loras College managements to develop a memorandum of understanding for signing as soon as possible. I also urge the staff and students of the three institutions to identify joint projects that they can undertake in collaboration,” he said.
Gicharu spoke during a meeting at the university's main campus in Thika on Wednesday.
He said some agreements signed with other universities have started bearing fruit. Gicharu said the institution has hosted students and faculty members from globally recognised universities while its students have attended institutions in other regions, including Europe.
Gicharu said the university has been receiving students from Leuphana University, Germany, between January and April for the last three years.
“This year Ms Hannah Schild is in MKU on this programme. In November 2019, two MKU students visited Leuphana University in Germany for 10 days. One student from the School of Pure and Applied Sciences was awarded a three-month internship in South Korea between October and December 2019 and a job with the United Nations," he said.
"In February 2020, four students will visit Vincent Pol University in Lublin, Poland, sponsored by Erasmus Programme for five months as a follow-up to two others who visited the same university two years ago for five months.
“Since 2018, MKU has received students from Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Germany for three weeks on exchange programmes. We expect them in March this year. Additionally, many members of staff have been away from MKU visiting various universities and we have also been receiving staff members from other universities.”
Last September, MKU signed an agreement with Manchester Metropolitan University.
Chancellor John Struthers said the partnership will allow the exchange of students at all levels of training, joint community outreach activities, consultancies and staff exchange, capacity building, joint research and publications among the staff
“We expect that through joint research and publications as well as international experience, our students will get the increased exposure for knowledge transfer,” he said.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
