UWindsor president Alan Wildeman (seated, centre) signs a memorandum of understanding surrounded by witnesses (clockwise): acting provost Bob Orr, associate vice-provost for international cooperation Diana Kao, civil engineering professor Ram Balachandar, coordinator of advanced and professional studies for the Faculty of Engineering Majid Ahmadi, head of civil engineering Faouzi Ghrib, and dean of engineering Mehrdad Saif.
An agreement Wednesday between the University of Windsor and the Università degli Studi di Udine will enhance the international experience available to students at both schools.
It establishes a dual-degree program for graduate students in civil engineering, who will spend time in both locations and receive a master’s degree from each institution.
“We hope to see three to five participants each year,” says Faouzi Ghrib, head of the UWindsor Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “They will take their first-year courses in Italy, join us in Windsor for a research project in their second year, then move to Italy to complete their research.”
He says the program will give students experience in the international working environment expected of professional engineers.
“Getting exposed to different approaches is beneficial for both our students and theirs,” says Dr. Ghrib.
Wednesday’s signing ceremony involved a teleconference between officials in Chrysler Hall Tower and those in Windsor’s twin city of Udine, Italy. Separate versions of the documents were inked and will be exchanged via mail to formalize the agreement.
The program will launch only after approval by Senate and the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance. It follows a similar arrangement in 2011 with Politecnico di Torino to establish the International Masters in Automotive Engineering.