UNC-Chapel Hill Renews Memorandum of Understanding with Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Germany
July 8, 2021UNC Global Affairs
Top row: Tübingen President Bernd Engler, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz Bottom row: Tübingen Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity Monique Scheer, UNC-Chapel Hill Vice Provost for Global Affairs Barbara Stephenson.
Thirteen representatives from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in Germany met virtually to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the universities and to affirm their commitment to continuing the strategic partnership.
On June 24, 2021, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Tübingen President Bernd Engler signed the MOU along with UNC-Chapel Hill Vice Provost for Global Affairs Barbara Stephenson and Tübingen Vice President for International Affairs and Diversity Monique Scheer.
Tübingen, one of Europe’s oldest universities, boasts a large international student population and has been recognized by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as a University of Excellence.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s partnership with Tübingen began in 1986 with the launch of a student exchange program. In the years since, over 100 students have studied across the campuses, and more than 15 UNC-Chapel Hill doctoral students and junior faculty members have participated in the Teach@Tübingen program, which allows international researchers to become familiar with research and teaching at a German university.
The partnership has grown significantly to include research collaborations and joint activity across a range of disciplines, including the humanities, archaeology, law, biology, philosophy, malaria and infectious diseases, energy policy, drug discovery, and media and communication.
The participants discussed ways to support and build on existing activity between the universities, as well as new opportunities for collaboration, such as virtual exchanges and Carolina’s growing work around data science and digital humanities. Other areas that emerged as possible interests include water and sanitation, environmental sciences, and research in medicine and drug discovery, including infectious diseases, cancer and microbiology.
Stephenson also reaffirmed the importance of the Tübingen partnership to Carolina.
“Our work with Tübingen is an excellent example of an enduring and thriving strategic partnership. Both of our universities emphasize global collaboration through interdisciplinary research and teaching to address some of the world’s greatest challenges,” said Stephenson. “I am proud of our commitment to many more years of collaboration and exchange with Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.”