Media Release

For Immediate Release

February 29, 2008

The University of The Gambia is Back on Campus

From left to right: Awa Chery-Mbai, Dal student from The Gambia; Ysaac Rodriguez-Arias, International Student Advisor; Fatou Demba, SMU student from The Gambia; Gumbo Touray, UTG Director of International Affairs and Communication; Elsa Steigen, UTG; Vice Chancellor Andreas Steigen, UTG; Dr. Dodds, President of Saint Mary’s; Dr. Esther Enns, Dean of Arts; Lamin Jaiteh, UTG Registrar; Dr. Kevin Vessey, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research; Maureen Woodhouse, International Activities Program Manager/Acting Director; Dr. John Young, Chemistry Department; Dr. Pawan Lingras, Mathematics and Computing Science Department.

Saint Mary’s University’s long-standing relationship with the University of The Gambia (UTG) continues, with a visit by delegates from UTG.

Vice Chancellor Andreas Steigen, his wife, Mrs. Elsa Steigen, the UTG Registrar, Mr. Lamin Jaiteh and the Director of International Affairs and Communication, Mr. Gumbo Touray, arrived on February 24 for a visit. The purpose of their visit was to strengthen ties between our universities and to find areas where cooperation can continue.

Between 1996 and 2000, Saint Mary's University worked with the Gambian government and the Nova Scotia Gambia Association (NSGA) to deliver university programming in The Gambia through the University Extension Program. Faculty from Saint Mary’s, Gambian colleges and other Canadian universities taught students in The Gambia prior to the establishment of the University of The Gambia. As of the year 2000, 200 Gambian students have received Saint Mary’s degrees through extension courses taught in The Gambia.

From 1997 to 2002, Saint Mary's, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC), the Gambian Department for State Education and NSGA partnered on the Canadian International Development Agency-funded project Capacity Building for Higher Education in The Gambia. The project focused on strengthening Gambian higher education governance structures, policy formation and planning mechanisms, and administrative and management systems. Many exchanges between Canadian and Gambian participants took place, including meetings, workshops and professional placements, all forming the basis for the development of UTG.

More recently, Saint Mary's University and the University of The Gambia have teamed up with QuantumNET, a Gambian private sector company, to deliver a Gambian-based diploma in Computing Science and Business Administration. Saint Mary’s is providing curriculum, monitoring and faculty resources.

Over the years many ties have been made between faculty, staff and administrators at Saint Mary’s and the University of The Gambia.

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For More Information:

Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca