Wright State cements partnership with England’s Anglia Ruskin University

Wright State President Cheryl B. Schrader and Iain Martin, vice chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University, signing a partnership agreement between the two institutions. (Photo by Erin Pence)

Wright State University President Cheryl B. Schrader signed a partnership agreement with a prestigious English university that promises to strengthen the existing relationship and paves the way to expand it.

The signing ceremony was held Nov. 8 in the Student Union Endeavour Room and capped a four-day visit by an eight-member delegation of officials from Cambridge, England-based Anglia Ruskin University. The delegation included the university’s vice chancellor and representatives from its business school, theater program, student services and activities units.

Schrader said there is much for the two universities to learn from each other and that more areas of collaboration are being explored.

“There are many, many opportunities to strengthen our collaboration and have this be a model partnership,” she said.

Iain Martin, professor and vice chancellor of Anglia Ruskin, said both universities share the common mission of meeting its regions’ needs in education, research and innovation. In addressing these needs, he emphasized the importance of global engagement.

“There is a huge set of shared values that sit behind the relationship,” said Martin.

Anglia Ruskin is a school of nearly 40,000 students, with campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford and Peterborough. It supplies many of the region’s teachers, nurses, midwives and social workers.

The signing represents the renewal of a 2013 memorandum of understanding with Anglia Ruskin designed to formalize commitment to higher education internship opportunities, pave the way for research initiatives and open the door for more student exchanges.

In 2015, a 14-member delegation of high-ranking officials from Anglia Ruskin visited Wright State to learn about strategies to foster student engagement as well as Wright State’s disability services and multicultural affairs programs.

The delegation from Anglia Ruskin this year included Martin; Nigel Ward, of the theater department; Julie Walkling, chief Student Affairs officer; Bethan Dudas and Abi Dickinson, from the Students’ Union; Jamie Carson, from Student Experience; and Nicola Faulkner and Joana Luis, from the business school.

The group toured the campus and met with Gary Dickstein, Wright State interim vice president of student affairs; Joseph Keferl, dean of the College of Education and Human Services; Tim Littell, associate dean and executive director of student success; and Bill Holmes, associate vice president of international affairs; as well as leadership studies faculty Roxanne DuVivier and Carol Patitu and representatives from the Division of Student Affairs.