UMSL’s Joel Glassman (far left) and Jacquelyn Elliott (far right), accompanied by GUST’s Ghassan Aouad (second from left), pose with GUST students during their visit to the Kuwaiti campus. (Photo courtesy of Gulf University for Science and Technology)

Nearly 11 years after it was formed, Gulf University for Science and Technology in Kuwait, a Middle East partner of the University of Missouri–St. Louis continues to improve and expand its educational opportunities.

Joel Glassman, associate provost and director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at UMSL and Jacquelyn Elliott, international liaison specialist at UMSL and the new coordinator for the GUST-UMSL partnership recently, visited GUST for four days. While UMSL doesn’t sponsor or run GUST, UMSL faculty members do provide strategic and course planning. The agreement provides a dual enrollment option for qualified GUST students.

During their visit, Glassman and Elliott attended meetings with GUST officials and received updates on the latest developments at the university.

“It is a great privilege to observe firsthand the progress that GUST continues to make,” Glassman said. “I was especially impressed this time with the greatly strengthened student services and academic planning that have been put in place. These new areas of strength accompany the solid teaching and growing research profile of the university.”

Glassman and Elliott also led a discussion with GUST management and faculty on a range of subjects that included state public funding, accountability issues, the labor market and globalization. Elliott specifically focused her discussion on student indebtedness, public perceptions, the use of technology and the for profit sector.

During the visit, it was clear that GUST and UMSL have shared a fruitful partnership. The two universities are striving to create more opportunities for collaboration, such as joint research and student and faculty exchange programs.

“As a first-time visitor to the campus, I was particularly impressed with the desire and push for excellence among the staff, the library facilities, the team approach to student services, and an overall commitment to academic excellence,” Elliott said.

Click here to learn more about UMSL’s academic partnerships in the Middle East.