Continuing to seek international partnerships, the University of South Florida Polytechnic has entered into an agreement to exchange faculty with Vinh University of Vietnam.  

Up to three faculty members from each institution will be welcomed each year to work on a project funded by the World Bank to strategically improve Vinh University's information technology curriculum. 

According to Dr. Naomi Boyer, executive director of USFP's Extended University, "Our expertise in information technology distinguished us as a logical choice for this partnership. As we expand our perspectives to work with institutions around the world, it is critical that our international endeavors are strategic and mutually beneficial for both students and faculty."

Founded in 1959, Vinh University is a public university located in Vinh City, Vietnam with a total enrollment of 20,000.

"The planned faculty exchange program with Vinh University is a very comfortable one for our highly multinational IT faculty," says Dr. Dave Armitage, interim chair, Department of Information Technology. "USF Polytechnic is a leader in the developing online IT courses and has integrated online delivery into innovative IT degree and certificate programs. We will share this expertise with members of Vinh University's IT Department."

Armitage expects two Vinh University professors to visit USFP this summer.

"We anticipate providing them with online course development experience and sharing the methods developed by Dr. Boyer and her Extended University staff to ensure high quality online course content and delivery. We also plan to benefit from Vinh's experience in training IT instructors for middle and high schools, a function not typically handled by IT or computer science departments in this country.

"Our IT faculty feels that this collaboration with Vinh University will be a productive one for both institutions well into the future."

Last month USFP announced the signing of a collaborative agreement with France's Euromed Marseille School of Management and a program to host students from Polytech Marseille.