Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences wishes to expand and strengthen its collaboration with Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. To this end, a delegation from the university travelled to Fitchburg accompanied by Heinz-Joachim Schmidt, the first deputy mayor of the city of Kleve.
Before the group travelled to Fitchburg, a small delegation from the university – comprising the President, Dr Heide Naderer, the Vice-Dean for International Affairs at the Faculty of Society and Economics, Prof. Dr Philipp Schorn, and the Head of the university’s International Centre, Dr Joost Kleuters – to visit the partner university, Ferris State University, in the US state of Michigan. One of the aims of this visit was to strengthen the long-standing partnership between the two institutions.
Together with the Deputy Mayor and Prof. Dr Klaus Hegemann, Professor of General Business Administration, the delegation then travelled on to the twin town of Fitchburg. The First Deputy Mayor was delighted with the warm welcome they received in the town: “These good personal relationships provide a solid foundation for expanding our substantive cooperation further. In Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale, I have met Fitchburg’s enthusiastic mayor, who is keen both to revitalise the town twinning and to actively support the cooperation between the two universities.”
In addition to further strengthening exchanges between the faculties and students of the partner university, new initiatives are also to be launched, such as collaboration in the field of online study programmes, as well as exchanges in the areas of sport and music. Dr Heide Naderer considers further exchanges between the partner university and the twin town to be beneficial. “Co-operation between universities and towns is equally beneficial for all parties – whether in the areas of mobility and exchange or in jointly promoting regional development,” says the President. A return visit by a delegation from Fitchburg is already planned for this year.
