College continues to make international connections

Gary Bertoline, dean, and Zularisam Ab Wahid, dean of the faculty of engineering technology at UMP, sign a letter of intent.

It has been a week of international partnerships and goodwill in the Purdue Polytechnic.

It started Monday, Nov. 16, with a visit by representatives from Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP). The college signed a letter of intent with UMP to promote international cooperation in education and research.

With the agreement, the institutions will begin exploring student and faculty exchanges, joint research projects, and technical assistance.

On Nov. 17, the college was part of another official partnership declaration, this time with the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) in Korea.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Purdue President Mitch Daniels, Purdue Research Foundation President Dan Hasler, and IITP President Sanghong Lee during the grand opening of the K-SW Software Square Project. The $2.3 million Korean Software Square Project will bring about 60 South Korean students to Purdue each year during the next five years. The program will help students develop experience in the computer and information technology field and gain international experience in the U.S. The Department of Computer and Information Technology is the main participant in the partnership.

The partnership agreement will allow the institutions to pursue additional opportunities, such as faculty exchanges, research collaboration, and cooperation with commercialization projects.

Also, on Tuesday, the college hosted a visit from Rockwell Automation’s international partners in advance of the Rockwell Automation Fair in Chicago. The visitors from several countries learned about Purdue Polytechnic’s programs and the college’s transformation, and they toured four engineering technology labs in Knoy Hall and Michael Golden Labs.