WESTERN BUREAU — The University of Technology (UTech) and the University of Delaware of the United States, on Tuesday, signed an agreement guaranteeing student and faculty exchanges between the two institutions.

The memorandum will also cover a range of other initiatives geared at enhancing the performance of both universities and heightening the student experience.

In addition to the student and faculty exchanges the terms of the memorandum of agreement include:

* a study abroad in the tourism programme;

* development of a specialised programme at the undergraduate level in hospitality information management; and

* research projects and other forms of collaboration between the partner units in teaching research.

Already, 14 University of Delaware students have started to benefit from the tourism aspect of the agreement.

Flora Gailliard, head of school for hospitality and tourism management at the UTech, said the students spent last week in Kingston. This week, she said, they are in Montego Bay, next week they will go on to Ocho Rios and after that they will go to Negril.

Meanwhile, Alecia Douglas, a UTech past student is benefiting from the collaboration between the two institutions. The 26 year-old is now pursuing a masters degree in hospitality information management at the University of Delaware — a two-year programme.

Douglas, who was present at Tuesday’s signing, said she supported the collaboration between both universities and urged all who would benefit from the programme to make good use of it.

“This signing will give UTech a competitive edge. It will (expand) educational services they can offer to students. And students, knowing they have this educational opportunity at an international university gives them a more rounded approach to how they can go out and market themselves,” she said.

“It’s a great opportunity (for me and) my advice for anyone who gets the opportunity to be a part of this collaboration is to benefit as much (as possible) from it… Keep your eyes open. Keep focused,” she added.

She said studying overseas was not a bed of roses, particularly when one is doing a masters programme, but that it was well worth the effort.

“It is a lot of hard work. There is no red carpet treatment in the masters programme. It has been challenging. It takes some getting used to, the adapting to the American system, the American style of education,” she said. “But all in all those with a British background, I think we still have an edge. We can get out there and be very competitive and aggressive about our education and we can derive many benefits from that,” she added.

Gailliard said she too anticipated good things from the agreement, which she was instrumental in bringing to fruition.

“It’s a win-win for both sides. We will go over for a year. Their students will come over for a year. The cultural experiences will be invaluable,” she said.

“So, we are looking forward to building up both schools and looking at international initiatives because right now the world is very small so you have to look at all your linkages and try to make things work.”

Her sentiments were echoed by Frederick DeMicco, head of the Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management Department at the University of Delaware.

“Today will be the culmination of about a year of discussion for exchanges,” he said Tuesday. “The University of Delaware is sending faculty and students down to Jamaica to learn about opportunities in the Caribbean and also to deliver education throughout the Caribbean through distance learning over the Internet…”