Valdosta State University has established a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of West Indies Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica, to engage in cooperative programs of education and research and to promote exchange among faculty members and students.
 
“Valdosta State University is excited to be able to participate in this historic partnership with the University of West Indies,” said Dr. Richard A. Carvajal. “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding reflects a shared vision for educational cooperation — one that will expand teaching and learning opportunities, increase joint research in areas of common interest, and encourage the sharing of best practices in innovation and higher education.”
 
The Memorandum of Understanding encourages joint research activities, including exchange of faculty members and research students; joint teaching or supervision of students; staging of joint seminars, conferences, and academic meetings; special academic programs; education abroad opportunities; the exchange of academic materials and other information; collaborative grant proposals; and more between the two institutions of higher education.
 
“This opportunity also helps each institution fulfill its mission to provide educational experiences that prepare graduates for the global society and workforce of the 21st century,” said Dr. Reynaldo L. Martinez Jr., head of VSU’s Department of Adult and Career Education. “Each program in any department is free to craft the arrangements that best fit their program goals and objectives.”
 
After traveling to the University of Technology in Jamaica for an accreditation review in 2013, Martinez met Dr. Halden Morris, a professor of humanities and education in the School of Education at the University of West Indies. Morris came to VSU in Spring 2015 as a Brown Scholar; Martinez served as a visiting professor at the University of West Indies in Fall 2015. During these exchanges, Martinez and Morris envisioned an academic collaboration between their respective universities.
 
Faculty members from VSU and the University of West Indies will offer the first collaborative Department of Adult and Career Education doctoral-level course during the 2017-2018 academic year. VSU and University of West Indies students will be able to earn course credit at their individual institutions.
 
The University of West Indies is recognized as a regionally integrated, innovative, internationally competitive university deeply rooted in all aspects of Caribbean development and committed to serving the diverse people of the region and beyond. Founded in 1946, it is the largest and longest standing higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Mona, Jamaica; Cave Hill, Barbados; and St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. It offers degrees and diplomas in humanities and education, law, medical sciences, science and technology, and social sciences.