A very special relationship

Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Weatherill visited Southern Connecticut State University recently to discuss the forthcoming inaugural meeting of LJMU’s international civic universities consortium and to meet the 18 LJMU students studying in New Haven this semester.

The inaugural consortium meeting is due to take place in Malaysia between 30 April and 1 May when LJMU will be joined by President Joe Bertolino and the SCSU delegation plus representatives from Universiti Technologi Mara (UiTM) and Shanghai Normal University (SHNU). Following these discussions, the consortium will be launched formally at a fringe meeting of the British Council’s annual Going Global conference for leaders of international education between 2 and 4 May.

“Our goal is to build a consortium of institutions with a similar heritage, profile and focus as us,” explains Professor Weatherill. “Like LJMU, SCSU and our other inaugural partners are all anchor institutions within their respective city regions, with a clear social responsibility agenda. They are also globally engaged, student-centred and research informed with a history of applied learning. By working collaboratively, we can harness our strengths to develop exciting new overseas opportunities for our students.”   

SCSU are keen to be involved in the consortium as it is an opportunity for them to raise their profile internationally. “This is an extension of work we’ve already done with LJMU,” says President Bertolino. “Over time we’ll look to create opportunities for joint programmes and exchange with the other consortium members.”

Within the LJMU-SCSU Alliance joint L7 programmes are coming on line. The first is the joint MSc Coastal Resilience, which is expected to attract students from many nations. Developed by the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology and SCSU, this unique programme will help train professionals to address the effects of global climate change on coasts worldwide. Students will be resident in both universities for a semester, participating in international fieldwork at international locations. The first intake for MSc Coastal Resilience is due to start in September 2018.

A second programme, the MBA International Business, developed by Liverpool Business School and SCSU, could start as early June 2019, offering professionals the opportunity to complete short stays at each institution.

“Over the last year, we’ve had undergraduate and graduate students going back and forth, between the two campuses,” President Bertolino adds. “It’s been extremely exciting, and LJMU is a sister institution in many respects.”

In other areas, LJMU and SCSU are collaborating on research and jointly supervised doctoral studies. Further partnerships are in the pipeline, including a sports management degree.