The agreement will facilitate exchange programs, joint research projects and publications, and will see the two universities collaborate on such topics as maritime safety, navigational technologies, and environmental management.

“The signing of the MoU…broadens UH Hilo’s relationship with institutions of higher education in Asia,” said UH Hilo interim-chancellor Marcia Sakai.

“We are especially excited to be exploring with them collaborative opportunities in marine science, aquaculture and computer science.”

“The partnerships that we have developed … allow our students … to see the world through other eyes”

The MoU was signed in January when a delegation from Bangladesh visited UH Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawai’i, to discuss joint research projects.

“I was impressed to see the infrastructure and facilities of the campus which reflects visionary commitment for higher education. [UH Hilo] are maintaining a world class standard to educate the students with requisite skills for their future career,” Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman vice-chancellor (and Admiral) Abdul Baten told The PIE News.

Admiral Baten said that the university is expanding its educational offerings with new programs, some of which are similar to those offered at UH Hilo.

“I think there would be some opportunities to work together where we can share our experience and knowledge on common grounds,” he said.

“The delegation… met with professors in various departments to discuss linkages in academic and research initiatives in maritime and marine affairs that affect us as residents of the larger Pacific region,” UH Hilo director of global exchange Todd Shumway told The PIE News.

Shumway added that partnerships with international universities are a “high priority” for UH Hilo.

The university currently has 48 partner schools in 16 different countries. Typically, 30 to 50 of its 3,829 students study abroad each year.

It is also involved in active research partnerships with universities around the world, spanning from a collaboration on indigenous languages with New Zealand to the development of a common teaching curriculum on TESOL programs with Japan.

“The partnerships that we have developed and nurtured allow our students the chance to see the world through other eyes, and give students from around the world the chance to experience the multi-cultural community that makes up Hawai’i,” Shumway said.

“Through this engagement at the university level, we want to continue to broaden the horizons of our own students and resist the trend towards isolationism and parochial thought.”