The Dean School of Languages, Literature and Communication, Dr Aaron Mushengyezi on 15th-23rd April 2019 held discussions with several officials and Heads of Department at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the US. The discussions were a follow-up of an earlier visit by the Ag. College Principal (CHUSS), Dean of the School of Languages, Literature and Communication, and the Dean of the School of Social Sciences.
Officials met
1. Dr. Peter Diplock, Assistant Vice Provost, Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL).
2. Dr. Cathy Schlund-Vials, Associate Dean for Humanities and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; Professor, English and Asian/Asian American Studies.
3. Zahra Ali, Director, Global Partnerships & Outreach.
4. Dr. Roy Pietro, Director, Global Training & Development Institute.
5. Rae Alexander, Director, International Student & Scholar Services.
6. Dr. Katrina Higgins, Director, University Advising (CETL).
6. Dr. Fiona Vernal, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies.
7. Dr. Gustavo Nanclares, Head, Department of Literature, Cultures & Languages.
8. Dr. Kenneth Lachlan, Professor & Head, Department of Communication.
9. Dr. Mark Hamilton, Professor, Department of Communication.
10. Dr. Leslie Snyder, Professor, Department of Communication.
11. Dr. Robert Hasenfratz, Head, Department of English.
Agreed areas of Collaboration
1. Faculty/Staff exchange opportunities and Residences for researchers:
(a) Scholars with Funded Residences
(i) UConn is willing to host CHUSS/SLLC scholars by arranging their accommodation, identifying for them host departments, academic mentors and offering library support. The Department of Communication; Department of Literature, Culture & Languages; and the Department of English, are ready to invite Makerere Mellon Post-Docs, Fulbright and other scholars for residences.
(ii) In turn, UConn will support its Faculty members who would like to visit CHUSS/Makerere as, among others, Fulbright scholars, to work on research in Africa.
(b) Scholars without funded Residences
The above UConn Departments will explore opportunities of providing scholarly and research support to visiting CHUSS/SLLC scholars who do not have funding, e.g. they can teach a class for a semester or participate in a programme in the Department.
2. Support to the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at UConn will send visiting experts to train and mentor our CHUSS/Makerere staff in setting up CETL operations; running Faculty seminars on teaching and learning; providing some teaching and learning materials. CETL staff at UConn are also willing to visit and organise workshops for new CHUSS Centre.
3. Collaborative research grants
The above Departments will support their Faculty to jointly source for research funds to support joint faculty projects. The joint research projects can also include faculty/staff exchange visits, Graduate students and Post-Docs who are doing research or writing articles and monographs.
4. Study abroad programme
UConn will encourage its students to visit CHUSS/Makerere University for their study abroad programme.
5. Graduate students studying at UConn
CHUSS/Makerere will encourage its junior faculty (without PhDs) and graduate students to apply for Teaching and Research Assistantships to pursue Doctoral programmes at UConn.
Way Forward
The Dean SLLC will put in touch the Heads of the above Departments and their colleagues in SLLC/CHUSS to start discussing specific areas of collaboration.