Center announces agreement with South African university
Posted on: 5/25/2015; Updated on: 5/25/2015By UofSC
The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition has announced an affiliate agreement with the University of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Expanding an international network of educators dedicated to enhancing the first-year student experience, the agreement will help collaborative research and cooperation in training projects for specific areas of interests related to First-Year Experience programs. The partnership with the South African National Resource Centre for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (SARNC) will also provide essential resources, publications and services that advance learning in the higher education community and provide professional development opportunities to the nation of South Africa, the African continent, and a global network of scholars, while advancing the research agenda of the National Resource Center.
As an affiliate, the SANRC will operate under the broad "umbrella" of the center's brand and organizational identity, with adjustments for the South African culture and higher education context. The newly established SANRC aims to deepen and strengthen scholarship and resource dissemination in regard to first-year student transitions and success. As a first step, the SANRC hosts the South African National First-Year Experience conference May 19 – 21. National Resource Center Director Jennifer Keup and Dallin Young, assistant director for research, grant and assessment will serve as the two keynote speakers for the conference held near Johannesburg.
The National Resource Center has among its initiatives to “nurture and expand an international network of educators dedicated to enhancing the first-year student experience,” Keup said. This partnership with the SANRC and the University of Johannesburg represents the latest initiative in an ongoing agenda of scholarship and the facilitation of best practice in an international community of educators dedicated to the mission of the National Resource Center. The center has a long history of collaboration with the European First-Year Experience Network and has co-sponsored professional development events, publications and research studies with institutions and FYE networks in Canada, the Pacific Rim and the United Kingdom.
”This affiliation with our South African colleagues is a perfect next step in our international efforts to facilitate students’ learning, development, and success during their transition into and through higher education. We look forward to drawing upon the shared values of our respective organizations—the importance of student transitions, the connection between research and practice, inclusion and collaboration, and lifelong learning—to engage in work that allows higher education to meet its fullest potential as a tool for social justice and as a lever for personal, political, and economic advancement,” Keup said.
André van Zyl, director of the SANRC, said the primary benefits of the agreement for the SANRC include access to the resources developed by the National Resource Center, the opportunity to learn from the administrative and research approaches being used by the center, as well as direct access to the center’s staff.
“The National Resource Center is, without a doubt, the world leaders in taking a research-based approach to issues relating to first-year student transitions and it is extremely valuable for us to partner with,” Zyl said. “The center has shown the way to the rest of the world by establishing and growing the center and the FYE movement in the USA. We don’t want to re-invent the wheel, we would very much appreciate access to what exists with freedom to customize and develop our own solutions.”
The initial agreement is for three years, with subsequent renewals anticipated to continue. Both Keup and Zyl expect this agreement to set the stage for a strong relationship that will ultimately benefit students in both the United States and South Africa.
“The SANRC will endeavor to firstly establish a national footprint and network to initiate, support and grow FYE in South Africa. This will include launching national research projects, disseminating information and hosting conferences and workshops,” Zyl said. “The aim is ultimately to see student transitions, and the FYE improve as our country and continent develops. Higher education access and success is crucial to make this development happen and the first year is a gateway to that.”
The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, housed at the University of South Carolina, serves as the trusted expert, internationally recognized leader, and clearinghouse for scholarship, policy, and best practice for all postsecondary student transitions.
Building upon its history of excellence as the founder and leader of the first-year experience movement, the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition serves education professionals by supporting and advancing efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education.
Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about