A conference on ‘Innovation and Internationalization in Pakistani Higher Education’ was held by the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in collaboration with George Mason University (GMU), USA, here on Monday.
Both institutions started the Collaboration for Faculty Excellence in Teaching and Research (CFETR) three years ago to empower faculty through professional training. The purpose of the conference was to highlight research, innovative educational practice, and knowledge generation in the modern context.
Addressing the inaugural session, US Consul General Lahore Yuriy Fedkiw said that the United States government recognized strong economies depend on strong educational systems. He said that the US Mission to Pakistan supported economic activities in the country through a number of initiatives that increased access to finance, improved workforce development skills, encouraged the use of new technology, supported institutions of higher education, and increased domestic and international trade.
He said that the US government had partnerships with 9 different universities in Punjab, investing $9 million through the US-Pakistan Academic Linkages Program. He said that the American government supported academic linkages between UMT and George Mason University for the purpose of faculty development. Fedkiw said that the US Mission in Pakistan wanted to help universities improve curriculum and develop faculty for better results.
Far from the traditional paradigm of teaching and research in higher education, universities were finding new ways to collaborate with one another for the development of higher education to uplift national and regional economies, he said. Innovation and internationalization were key factors of success in the 21st century for higher educational institutions, the consul general said. He said that the United States was connecting professionals from Pakistan who were a part of an alumni network consisting of more than 22,000 individuals from across the country.
Throwing light on the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor (UPKC), the consul general said that it would cater to up to 10,000 Pakistani students pursuing their PhDs in the United States in the next 10 years. He said that there was a clear correlation between American education and the country’s economic development.
Addressing the inauguration, UMT Rector Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad said that the CFETR was fostering collaboration and strengthening ties between Pakistan and the USA through faculty exchanges, joint research, and scholarly work to further the collective understanding of effective pedagogical practices and expand research competencies.
He acknowledged the efforts of GMU’s Professor Rebacca Fox for supporting and guiding the researchers throughout the process. The CFETR is a part of the U.S.-Pakistan University Partnership Program, which is an academic linkages program of the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Islamabad and funded by the US Department of State.
Forty outstanding CFETR fellows from the UMT and GMU and other invited professionals shared their scholarship and research experiences in individual and roundtable sessions, plenary sessions, and interactive workshops during the two day conference.
