I returned last Thursday from Tunisia and Morocco, which I visited following my trip to Uganda. I met with government officials, university presidents and deans in Casablanca, Rabat and Tunis in order to discuss possible areas of collaboration with our University. I found a great deal of interest in potential student and professor exchanges, joint courses of study, and partnerships in research. I will now share that information with our own deans and department heads, so that we can follow up these leads.

As members of la francophonie, both Morocco and Tunisia are very interested in providing their students with access to our French language programs, particularly (though not exclusively) at the graduate level. For our part, collaborating with and learning from scholars in those countries will provide opportunities to broaden perspectives and to create chances for our students and faculty to experience education and research within different and very rich cultures.

While I was in Morocco, I participated in a fabulous program that our Faculty of Education organized in partnership with Moroccan organizations, and that focused on graduate studies. Congratulations to Dean Marie Josée Berger and her terrific team for their great success with this important initiative.