NIU inks pact to promote scholarly ties with Vietnam

by Tom Parisi

Northern Illinois University has agreed to an educational exchange that will bring Vietnamese graduate students and faculty here to study. The university inked an agreement on Wednesday, May 22, with the Institute of Physics at Ho Chi Minh City on behalf of the universities located in Ho Chi Minh City, including the National University of Vietnam. "The intent is to expand NIU's international scholarly ties and promote academic collaboration with these institutions," NIU Provost Ivan Legg said. "The agreement demostrates our commitment to actively recruit qualified graduate students from Vietnam, particularly in science-related fields."

Northern Illinois University has inked an agreement that will bring Vietnamese faculty and graduate students to DeKalb to study. On hand for the agreement signing were (front row, left to right) Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Fred Kitterle, Provost Ivan Legg, Physics Professor Gerald Blazey, (back row, left to right) Physics Chair John Shaffer, Chemistry and Biochemistry Chair James Erman, International Programs Director Manfred Thullen and Computer Science Chair Rodney Angotti.

The agreement primarily involves the NIU Departments of Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Computer Science. However, Vietnamese students from the partner institutions are encouraged to apply to all NIU graduate programs.

Under the agreement terms, NIU will provide full tuition waivers to faculty members from the partner institutions who are admitted to the university to pursue a graduate degree for professional development. (Applicants must meet NIU Graduate School and departmental requirements.)

Additionally, NIU's Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will each provide as many as two graduate assistantships to qualified Vietnamese students for each academic year through 2006. The Department of Computer Science will provide one graduate assistantship, and NIU's Center for Southeast Asian Studies also may give some support to visiting instructors in the fields of economics, sociology or business.

"Over the past decade, American universities have increasingly sought to develop linkages with Vietnamese institutions," said Manfred Thullen, executive director of NIU's Division of International Programs. "The linkages help to internationalize a university, but there are also altruistic motivations. We're providing faculty enrichment to universities in countries that are not as developed as the United States."

Thullen said NIU has entered into similar agreements in the past, including with about a half dozen institutions in Thailand.

The latest agreement is expected to result in only a slight increase in the number of Vietnamese students who already study at NIU. The university currently has four students from Vietnam and another 20 Vietnamese students who are permanent U.S. residents.

"The Institute of Physics (at Ho Chi Minh City) is very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Northern Illinois University," said Nguyen Mong Giao, the institute's liaison to NIU. "This represents a wonderful opportunity for the citizens of Vietnam to benefit from the educational and technological resources of the university and Illinois."

NIU Physics Professor Jerry Blazey was instrumental in developing the pact with the Vietnamese institutions. Blazey conducts research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Batavia, where he directs dozens of scientists and engineers from across the world in the upgrade of a portion of the electronics system for the DZero collider detector. DZero is one of the two main proton/antiproton collider particle experiments at Fermilab.

"Vietnam had joined the DZero collaboration at Fermilab," Blazey said. "In my role as institutional board deputy chair, I helped them with the application process. Dr. Giao later approached me with the thought of a formal NIU relationship."

Blazey said the agreement will bolster applications of qualified students for NIU graduate programs. "Our research programs will benefit through graduate applications," he said. "We also would expect some exchange between visiting faculty and the community."