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IIE white paper pushes for more Iran-US exchange

Dual degree programmes and short-term study abroad are two areas of potential collaboration for universities in the US and Iran, now that diplomatic relations are beginning to thaw, according to a white paper published by the US-based IIE.
August 5 2015
3 Min Read

Dual degree programmes and short-term study abroad are two areas where there is potential for universities in the US and Iran to collaborate, now that diplomatic relations are beginning to thaw, according to a white paper published by the US-based Institute for International Education.

Joint PhD advising, faculty exchange and academic research are also among the areas of potential collaboration highlighted in the report.

“When a head of state speaks about people-to-people exchanges and educational exchange, we’d like to try to explore what can be possible”

The paper, Reinventing Academic Ties: Opportunities for US-Iran Higher Education Cooperation, is part of a concerted push by IIE for increased cooperation between the two countries in higher education.

The IIE Iran Higher Education Initiative was launched in anticipation of the P5+1 countries (the US, UK, Germany, France, Russia and China) adopting a nuclear deal with Iran and in response to Iranian’s President Hassan Rouhani’s 2013 visit to New York, where he called for more international cooperation.

Rouhani also urged Iran’s universities to open up to more foreign students and staff in a national televised address last year.

“It doesn’t matter where they’re from, or whether we’ve got diplomatic relations with the country at the time; when a head of state speaks about people-to-people exchanges and educational exchange, we’d like to try to explore what can be possible,” IIE president Allan Goodman told The PIE News.

The white paper notes that “despite a generally low level of engagement”, there has been an increase in individual cross-border initiatives in the last few years.

IIE is particularly keen to support the development of institutional partnerships, which Goodman said can prove longer-lasting than MoUs.

“We think the future of exchanges depends a lot on grounding them in institutional partnerships,” he explained.

Last month an IIE-led delegation of senior representatives from US universities met with counterparts in Iranian to discuss opportunities for further collaboration and exchanges.

The white paper expands on the delegation’s findings, outlining specific approaches that could be effective when building partnerships.

“While US study abroad to Iran may not be widely popular at US colleges and universities, the US participants in the IIE delegation agreed that a consortium approach to initiating a short-term study abroad experience for their students would be effective,” it states.

“We think the future of exchanges depends a lot on grounding them in institutional partnerships”

“The majority of Iranian universities we visited discussed the possibility of creating short courses in English, given sufficient demand,” it adds.

Iranian institutions meanwhile are “particularly eager” to explore the development of double degree programmes, including 2+2 degrees where students spend two years in each country, the white paper says.

The white paper also clarifies the rules and regulations around affecting transnational activity and institutional partnerships, after this was identified as an urgent need in order to facilitate exchange during the visit.

It addresses topics such as the use of grant funds and whether staff from one country can sit on joint organising committees in the other.

“In three months, maybe we have to reissue it because the regulations will change on both sides, depending on how the nuclear accord and sanctions get signed and lifted,” Goodman said.

Iran has agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear programme in return for the gradual lifting of economic sanctions, following 18 months of bargaining with the P5+1 countries.

However, before the accord goes forward, lawmakers must agree in a vote next month.

“I think we’re learning that it is important to try to have material available for US higher education institutions on what we think the latest regulations are and the latest interpretations for doing educational exchange.”

The paper has been distributed widely to higher education institutions and policymakers in the US. IIE’s next move will be to hold a national conference call with university and government representatives to talk about higher educational relations between the two countries.

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