EUGENE, Ore. -- (September 21, 2011) - Iraqi students will begin attending the University of Oregon this fall under a $3.3 million, first-of-its-kind agreement in association with the international partners in the re-development of the Rumaila oilfield in Southern Iraq and the University of Basrah. A contract that spells out the partnership was signed today.
The international partners in the Rumaila development aim to strengthen education and training in Iraq, including helping undergraduate students from Iraq's largest oil-producing area in Southern Iraq to learn English and receive college educations.
"This is a unique opportunity for the University of Oregon to play a role in the lives of more Iraqi students," UO President Richard Lariviere said. "It is also a wonderful chance for cultural exchange. We will learn much from our Iraqi guests."
As many as 15 undergraduate students from the University of Basrah may enter the program in each of the next two academic years, beginning this fall. They will start their U.S. education with nine months of language training in the UO's American English Institute. Some of the students may then transition into four-year, undergraduate studies in a variety of majors during future phases of the contract.
In addition, as many as 20 Iraqi educators are tentatively expected to visit the UO for intensive, short-term teacher training through the American English Institute during the summers of 2012 and 2013. The American English Institute, part of the Linguistics Department at the UO, conducts training courses for teachers of English from around the world, both on campus and online.
Chancellor Saleh Najim of University of Basrah visited the UO in May and signed a memorandum of understanding with Lariviere for collaboration between the two universities. Today's contract with the international partners in the Rumaila oilfield is a separate but related agreement.
The international partners' programs began in Iraq last year with an English language program offered through the British Council. The UO was invited to participate in an expanded project following the success of online language studies and teacher training programs offered by the university's American English Institute to students and educators at more than 15 institutions throughout Iraq. From 2006 to the present, more than 450 Iraqis have participated in AEI's online training.
BP, the leading member in a consortium that is redeveloping the Rumaila oilfield, has relationships with several other U.S. universities - including Stanford, MIT, Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley. The education fund's new project with the UO is the first that involves undergraduate studies for Iraqi students.
Funding for the education project is spelled out in a technical service contract between the consortium - made up of BP, PetroChina and Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization - and the state-owned South Oil Company of Iraq. The international partners are required to spend $5 million per year on education and training programs for Iraqis.
At the UO, Iraqi participants in the Rumaila project will receive academic and social support. University staff will also help them with their living accommodations and other needs.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
MEDIA CONTACT: Joe Mosley, UO media relations, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu
SOURCES: Clare Bebbington, BP, +44 (0)207-496-4868, bebbinc1@bp.com; Jill Cargile, Special Programs Director, UO American English Institute, 541-346-5803, jcargile@uoregon.edu