Rowan expands global reach through partnership with Egyptian university

This summer, Rowan University took a significant step toward expanding global learning and research opportunities through an agreement with Egypt’s Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT). The partnership is designed to open doors for student exchange, degree completion, collaborative research and more—both in the U.S. and across the Middle East.

Morris Kalliny, Ph.D., Rowan’s vice president for Global Affairs and dean of the School of Professional Studies, traveled to Cairo to formalize the agreement July 1 at one of AASTMT’s Cairo campuses.

“This Memorandum of Understanding lays the foundation for a wide range of academic and research collaborations between Rowan and AASTMT,” Kalliny said.

Among possible initiatives are joint degree programs that would allow students to start their studies at one institution and finish at the other. Similar to Rowan’s successful 3+1 and 2+2 programs with community colleges in Gloucester, Burlington, and Cumberland counties, these pathways could offer students a more affordable and flexible route to earning their degrees.

While the specifics of the partnership are still developing, the potential is clear.

“This agreement allows us to begin building programs in areas like joint degrees, research partnerships and study abroad,” Kalliny said.

AASTMT, which serves approximately 27,000 students across six campuses in Egypt — including 16,000 graduate students — has a strong academic reputation and a global outlook that aligns well with Rowan’s mission to increase access to a high quality, affordable college degree. The university was established by the Arab League in 1972 to serve students from all 22 Arab countries.

Though the MOU is non-binding, it marks the beginning of a promising relationship.

“It signals that both institutions are committed to working together,” Kalliny said, “opening the door to exciting new opportunities for our students and faculty.”