Manchester Metropoolitan University

The partnership between South Dakota State University (SDSU) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) originated from an informal meeting between Betsy Kosier (who was the International Student Advisor at SDSU) and Diana Donald (MMU, Head of the Department of History of Art and Design) at a National Association of Foreign Student Advisors meeting sometime in the late 1980s. Following their initial meeting, Ms. Donald visited the SDSU campus. Dr. David Hilderbrand, SDSU Director of International Programs, negotiated the agreement and coordinated details under which the agreement operated at SDSU.

An agreement for exchange of faculty was signed in 1990. The student exchange agreement followed. This document is not dated, but correspondence suggests it was completed in 1992. Both documents were reviewed and renewed in 1997.

Basically, the faculty agreement encourages exchange for sabbaticals and use of the campuses for study abroad, but does not commit either institution to fund or support such efforts. The student exchange is reciprocal, a one-for-one exchange in which a visiting student replaced a host student. Each university maintains autonomy and exchange students remain on the role of their home institution. Exchange students apply for admission, enroll and pay tuition and fees at home. For SDSU students, this eliminated some of the bureaucracy associated with study overseas and control tuition and fees at the same rate as for on-campus students. The coordinator and committee responsible for the European Studies Program established the guidelines for application to study at MMU. Committee members interview candidates and select the exchange students. The European Studies coordinator assists SDSU students with course selection and early registration, monitors course changes made after arriving in England, and provides the Registrar's office with final letter grades following receipt of number scores from MMU professors.

Liaison between the institutions is primarily the responsibility of the Director of International Programs at SDSU and the Educational Advisor at MMU. Harriet Swedlund served in that capacity for SDSU from 1994 until September 2003 when Dr. Karl Schmidt was appointed Director of International Programs. The MMU liaison person during this time period was Jean Roebuck. She reported to Dr. Colin Rodgers until he retired in 2002. Dr. Christ Change now heads the International Office at MMU. / The basic agreement between South Dakota State University and Manchester Metropolitan University provided latitude for more specific agreements between colleges and departments of the two institutions. Four such agreements were completed setting forth the operational procedures and policies for specific projects. Sub-agreements include:

The College of Nursing and the Department of Health Care Studies for short term study abroad exchanges involving faculty and students. The agreement was signed August 1998 in Brookings, SD.

In 1999, following a visit by President Miller and Dr. George West, English Department head, the English Departments at both SDSU and MMU agreed to support travel costs for the exchange of department faculty members for short-term guest lectureship assignments.

An agreement for the reciprocal exchange of students between the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at MMU and South Dakota State University was signed in 2002. This agreement was designed for Environmental and Geographical Sciences to warranty a degree program that included Study in America. SDSU is one of the sites where this option is available.

A similar sub-agreement for students in the MMU Department of Biological Sciences to Study in America is going through the approval process at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Manchester, England