The UW-NU partnership is informed by the Wisconsin Idea—the principle that the university should improve people’s lives beyond the classroom—in a global context and innovative ways. The partnership enables UW–Madison to share about its academic culture and norms informed by extensive expertise regarding the post-Soviet context, cultivate professional networks in Central Asia, and facilitate Wisconsin relationships in an economically dynamic country.
Additional benefits of the UW-NU partnership include:
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Building Institutional Capacity
The UW–Madison team has engaged in the unique experience of conceptualizing and designing new programs at NU. Team members have worked on timely issues of curricular design, teaching and learning pedagogy, the role of co-curricular activities in supporting academic excellence, design of governance structures, fostering interdisciplinary synergies, and data management.
Supporting Language and Area Studies
The UW-NU Partnership involves UW–Madison’s area and international studies faculty and staff who work on Central Eurasia. UW–Madison is a national leader in area studies, and its Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA) has more faculty working on the region than any other such center in North America. The partnership has supported faculty, students, and staff working on the region, as well as CREECA, the Language Institute, the UW Library, and other units engaged in providing regional expertise.
Serving as a Laboratory for Global Higher Education
The UW-NU Partnership serves as a laboratory where UW–Madison faculty, academic staff, and graduate students with interests in global higher education can address real challenges and explore innovative strategies. Key areas of collaborative work have included quality assurance, development of master’s and Ph.D. degree programs, improvement in language pedagogy, development of multilingual learning environments and writing as part of a core curriculum, and library development.
Providing Opportunities for UW–Madison Students
The UW-NU partnership offers students in Russian and Kazakh language programs opportunities to practice their language skills through formal translation and interpretation work and through classroom interaction with NU visitors and instructors. Through the groundwork that the partnership has laid, UW–Madison students have access to study abroad, internship, teaching, and research opportunities at NU, as well as collaborations on co-curricular activities with NU students.
Providing Opportunities for UW–Madison Faculty and Staff
Opportunities for faculty and staff who work on international and area studies—including Kazakhstan and Central Eurasia, comparative religion, and global higher education—include research, consulting, visiting scholars, professional networking, and academic workshops and conferences.