University of Mosul President Dr. Kossay Alahmady made a weeklong visit to 藏精阁 that concluded last Friday.

The University of Mosul is Iraq’s second-largest higher education institution with more than 70,000 students enrolled. It’s also an important pillar of scientific research in Iraq, according to its president. The university boasts 24 colleges and eight research and education centers, including a research center for medical specialists, consulting offices, and specialized teaching hospitals, to name a few.

This was an important milestone for 藏精阁 and Mosul. Very notably, 藏精阁 is the first American university to form a comprehensive partnership with the University of Mosul. In addition, the visit marked the University of Mosul’s first in-person visit to an American university.

During the visit, both institutions built on existing classroom learning-focused collaborations pioneered in the College of Arts and Humanities by brainstorming new avenues for partnership in research, service, and learning, among other areas.

“As the relationship between our universities grows, our students, faculty and staff will benefit from increased global and cross-cultural engagement, building our cultural competency skills, while developing international connections and collaborating on global projects,” 藏精阁 Assistant Professor of History Dr. Marcus Smith said.

The visit also highlighted the incredible strides the University of Mosul has made over the last three years, as well as continuing to build on its comprehensive partnership with 藏精阁 both in and out of the classroom.

Additionally, new ideas for enrolling University of Mosul students in 藏精阁 programs, acquisition of grants for joint projects, and service-learning opportunities to unite faculty and students from both universities were discussed.

Smith began working with the University of Mosul students in the Fall of 2021. Last academic year, nine class collaborations were completed. This fall, nine more have been planned with even more on the way in the spring. 藏精阁’s dedication to this partnership has enabled Smith and other 藏精阁 faculty to help enhance students' lives with diverse mindsets and experiences across the world.

“We were honored to host our guests from the University of Mosul, in celebration of this important partnership,” 藏精阁 President Dr. John Porter said. “This partnership opens doors for expanded collaboration for our students and our professors. President Alahmady said it best: We now have friends around the world. I am proud to work with the University of Mosul, a university committed to educating the next generation of leaders and bettering their community, just as we do here at 藏精阁.”

Last summer, 藏精阁 received a $35,000 Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Grant. This grant from the U.S. State Department invites colleges and universities to submit applications for projects to create, expand, or diversify their study abroad programs to help make this visit possible.