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Our Partners
As a globally engaged institution, Drake University continually seeks cooperation with higher education institutions, government, and non-governmental entities throughout the world.
Drake currently maintains 19 active partnerships in 13 countries. It is through these partnerships that innovative and collaborative projects are developed, such as joint faculty research, student travel seminars and customized short-term programs. The goal of these partnerships is to expand opportunities for global student learning and faculty and staff engagement.
Austria
University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt
Website: https://www.fhwn.ac.at/
About this Partner
The University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, or Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt (FHWN), is located south of Vienna. The institution offers courses in multiple areas of specialization as the country’s first and largest fachhochschule. The institution offers a course called “Business Consultancy International”, which is exclusively taught in English.
Established in 2005, the partnership between Drake and FHWN has consisted largely of faculty and student exchange. Multiple Drake faculty members have visited Austria from the College of Business & Public Administration and the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences to pursue collaborative projects and expand international student opportunities. Drake has also welcomed FHWN faculty on campus to participate in International Education Week.
Type of Agreement: Faculty/Staff Exchange, Student Exchange
Chile
Universidad de los Andes
Website: https://www.uandes.cl/
About this Partner
Universidad de los Andes (UANDES) is located in Santiago, at the foot of the Andes Mountains. They offer a short-term exchange program called GO UANDES which provides Drake students a unique opportunity to experience the local culture and learn from Chilean professors and peers about topics such as leadership, Economics, Politics, and social trends of Chile and the region. Established in 2015, the partnership between Drake and UANDES has consisted largely of student exchange, faculty collaboration and short-term experiential learning programs.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Exchange
China
Minzu University of China
Website: https://www.muc.edu.cn/
About this Partner
Minzu University is located in an urban district of Beijing and prides itself on its ethnic diversity. Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2013, students and faculty from both universities have participated in exchange and research collaboration. Notably, Drake Professor Tim Knepper led a collaborative project with colleagues at Minzu to support student research and documentation of the diverse religious communities in Beijing. The project received a Global Pressing Issues Grant from the Nelson Institute and resulted in a bi-lingual book, Religions of Beijing, being published in 2020.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Exchange, Faculty/Staff Exchange
Qingdao University
Website: https://istudy.qdu.edu.cn/
About this Partner
Qingdao University is located in Shandong, an eastern Chinese province on the Yellow Sea. The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple disciplines, including literature, history, science, engineering, medicine, economics, management, law, education, and art. In 2022, Qingdao University was listed in four publications for world university rankings, including Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities, QS Asia University Rankings, and Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
Drake and Qingdao signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation (MOU) in September 2022, which will facilitate the development of joint curricular programs, faculty and staff development, student engagement, and collaborative research.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
Southwest University of Political Science and Law
Website: http://www.swupl.edu.cn/
About this Partner
Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) is one of the oldest political science and law universities in China, located in Chongqing. The Drake-SWUPL partnership began in 2003 and has evolved to address multiple strategic initiative of both universities, including activities such as transfer programs, administrative exchanges of best practices, and faculty exchange.
Over the past four years, the Drake Law School has regularly hosted SWUPL students on campus for a custom fall semester program on the U.S. legal system. In 2019, twenty-four SWUPL students participated in activities throughout Greater Des Moines, such as visiting an international law firm, observing an actual jury trial, and attending a panel by leading women mediators.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
University of International Business and Economics
Website: http://www.uibe.edu.cn/
About this Partner
The University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) is located in Beijing, with courses in business, economics, finance, management, law and foreign languages. Each summer, the university invites professors from prestigious universities around the world to teach in their International Summer Sessions.
Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2012, multiple Drake faculty from the College of Business & Public Administration and the Law School have travelled to China as visiting guest lecturers. In addition to faculty exchange, the UIBE-Drake partnership has facilitated short-term experiential learning for students. In 2018, UIBE hosted 67 Drake football players during a May travel seminar.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
France
Nantes Université
Website: https://www.univ-nantes.fr/
About this Partner
Nantes Université is located in the city of Nantes in western France. It was originally founded in 1460, but closed down after the French Revolution and did not reopen until 1962. The Drake Law School has been active in both faculty and student exchange with Nantes. Drake has hosted nearly 80 exchange students from Nantes, and a regular summer travel seminar to France is a popular offering for Drake law students.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Law Student Exchange and Summer Program, Graduate Program Recruitment
India
Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences
Website: https://www.pravara.com/
About this Partner
Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is located in the Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra State, in the western peninsular region of India. The university and its parent organization offer courses in a variety of disciplines, including medicine, biosciences, rural health and Ayurveda.
The Drake College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences has actively sustained this partnership since it was established in 2012. The International Health Topics travel seminar to India is a popular choice for students during J-term, and multiple faculty have partnered on collaborative research and teaching. Notably, Drake Professor Pramod Mahajan is leading a joint research project to explore ways of combining Western medicine with Ayurvedic practices in treating non-communicable diseases. This work received a Global Pressing Issues Grant from the Nelson Institute.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Faculty/Staff Exchange, International Experience in Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Japan
Kwansei Gakuin University
Website: https://www.kwansei.ac.jp/
About this Partner
Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) is located in Nishinomiya in western Japan. It is colloquially known as Kangaku. Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006, the partnership between KGU and Drake has largely consisted of faculty and student exchange. KGU continues to be a popular destination for Drake students studying abroad. Drake has also welcomed KGU faculty on campus to participate in International Education Week.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Exchange
Kosovo
Kosovo Ministry of Education
About this Partner
Drake’s partnership with the Kosovo Ministry of Education came about following the establishment of the Kosovo Mission in Des Moines in August 2016, with a formal agreement signed with Drake in 2017. Drake has since hosted several high-level delegations, including visits by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other entities in Kosovo has been multifaceted, and the Drake-Kosovo partnership continues to create unique opportunities for faculty, staff and students. For example, the School of Education has led teaching workshops at universities in Kosovo; Drake students and faculty participated in a 2019 J-term travel seminar, Kosovo: Repairing and Rebuilding; and a Drake graduate worked in Kosovo at the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims as part of Drake’s Working Worldwide program.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo
About this Partner
Drake established a partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo (AmCham) in April 2021. AmCham is a "not-for-profit, non-governmental organization founded by its Members for the purpose of supporting the development of mutually beneficial economic relations" between the U.S. and Kosovo. AmCham serves as a key partner for the Working Worldwide: Kosovo program, which offers recent Drake graduates the opportunity to work in Kosovo for a year at a select partner institution. Placements are facilitated in close partnership with AmCham, with specific positions determined in part by matching individual participants with interested organizations in Kosovo.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
University of Prishtina
Website: https://uni-pr.edu/
About this Partner
Drake established a partnership with the University of Prishtina ("Hasan Prishtina") in October 2023. This academic cooperation agreement will expand on existing strong Iowa-Kosovo relations, facilitating educational, cultural, and research collaboration between the universities that includes the exchange of students, faculty, scholars, and staff. Located in Kosovo’s capital city, the University of Prishtina is the largest higher education institution in the country. They offer a wide range of academic programs serving more than 30,000 students.
This cooperation agreement was announced during a special visit by the President of Kosovo, Dr. Vjosa Osmani, to Drake on October 25, 2023. Learn more
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
Malaysia
Taylor's University
Website: university.taylors.edu.my
About this Partner
Drake's partnership with Taylor's University was established by signing a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2021. Taylor's is a private institution of higher learning, offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degrees. Prior to signing a global partnership agreement, Drake had welcomed Taylor's students to campus as part of their American Degree Transfer Program (ADP) wherein Taylor's students complete their first two years of study at Taylor's and their final two years of study at a U.S. university.
Throughout 2021, Drake faculty from the College of Business and Public Administration, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences collaborated virtually with Taylor's faculty and students as part of their U.S. Lecture Series.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
Mexico
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Website: https://tec.mx/es
About this Partner
Tecnológico de Monterrey (TEC) has more than 36 campuses across Mexico. The institution has implemented a unique education model called Tec21, driven by challenge-based learning. They are also a leader in global virtual learning through their Tec Global Classroom initiative.
TEC has been a partner with Drake since 2011, and this partnership affords myriad opportunities for faculty, staff, and students across many disciplines. This includes regular short-term travel seminars, global service-learning programs, and faculty collaboration on research, teaching and curriculum development.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Exchange
Panama
Balboa Academy
Website: https://balboaacademy.edu.pa/
About this Partner
Balboa Academy is an international school that offers a U.S. curriculum education to students starting in Pre-K through 12th grade. The language of instruction is English. The school is located on the City of Knowledge campus in Panama City.
Drake's partnership with Balboa Academy was established in August 2023 to offer international student teaching placements for Drake School of Education undergraduate students.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Teaching
City of Knowledge
Website: https://ciudaddelsaber.org/en/
About this Partner
The City of Knowledge, or Cuidad del Saber, is located in Panama - just a few minutes from Panama's city center and across from the Panama Canal. It is a site where "entrepreneurs, scientists, thinkers, artists, community leaders, as well as experts from the government, NGOs, and international organizations work together to develop initiatives that trigger social change."
A partnership between Drake and City of Knowledge was formally established in March 2023 during a visit by President Marty Martin to Panama, in which he signed a Cooperation Agreement. Collaboration has been cultivated by various faculty and staff across Drake's campus since 2018.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding
South Africa
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Website: https://www.ukzn.ac.za/
About this Partner
The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has five campuses in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal. The institution offers courses in multiple areas of specialization. The UKZN-Drake partnership was established in 2007 and has consisted of faculty and student exchange, and joint faculty research.
Three UKZN scholars visited Drake in March 2020 to participate in the Global Citizen Forum for a documentary film showing and panel discussion titled, “Ready or Not: Black Students Experiences of South African Universities.” Drake is partnering with UKZN to host a global conference on equity and inclusion in higher education in 2021.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Faculty/Staff Exchange, Student Exchange
Spain
Nebrija University
Website: https://www.nebrija.com/
About this Partner
Universidad Nebrija is located in Madrid and offers courses in multiple areas of specialization. The university has a center exclusively dedicated to teaching Spanish language and culture. Since signing an Exchange Agreement in 2004, the partnership has largely consisted of faculty and student exchange. The School of Journalism & Mass Communication has also welcomed a journalism professor to campus to participate in International Education Week.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Student Exchange
Uganda
Makerere University Business School
Website: https://mubs.ac.ug/
About this Partner
Makerere University Business School (MUBS) is located in Kampala and offers courses in business and management. Drake’s relationship with MUBS has strengthened over the years through a network of local partners, both in Des Moines and in Uganda.
One of the longest-standing activities between MUBS and Drake is a joint student seminar program. Drake and MUBS students are paired in Uganda for a three-week seminar on sustainable development; the following spring, the Ugandan students travel to the U.S. for a leadership seminar on Drake’s campus. This full-circle program allows for a true intercultural experience, inclusive of dialogue around topics relevant in both the Ugandan and U.S. contexts.
Type of Agreement: Memorandum of Understanding, Short-term Experiential Learning Programs
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