Professor Ali Massoud, director and cultural attaché of Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau and head of the educational mission office in Washington, D.C. visited UCR in Spring 2022 as part of a familiarization tour of universities in California.

Jun Wang, associate provost of strategic initiatives and international recruitment welcomed professor Massoud and helped connect him with campus leaders to discuss potential opportunities for collaboration with universities in Egypt.

In a meeting with Christopher Lynch, dean, and Angela Meluski, assistant dean of strategic initiatives, from the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, Massoud shared information about the various specialities of engineering schools in Egypt and spent time exploring the kinds of partnerships that might be available to BCOE students and faculty. The goal in these kinds of conversations is to identify opportunities that are balanced and to establish mutually beneficial partnerships that build upon each institutions strengths.

The Graduate Preparation Program (GPP) is a natural place for UCR to start engaging with international partners through UCR University Extension. GPP allows UCR to welcome international undergraduate students and help them prepare for a formal graduate degree program in the United States.

GPP was also one of the topics discussed with Yunzeng Wang, dean of UCR School of Business. Another area of interest the group is considering are Collaborative Online Interactive Learning courses, or COIL for short. Co-teaching COIL courses, so UCR and Egyptian students can take a course together from their home institutions, is an appealing way to increase access to international engagement and cross-cultural exchange for both groups of students.

The first visit with Professor Massoud went by quickly. Wang stated that there are quite a few ways UCR can connect with universities in Egypt. The next steps include connecting with specific institutions to discuss in detail what both parties can offer for a productive and engaging international partnership.