In an effort to strengthen bilateral ties between the United States and Sri Lanka through educational exchanges, under the guidance of Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C. continues to promote and seek the interest of universities in the United States in establishing feasible collaborations with renowned universities and higher educational entities in Sri Lanka.
A discussion took place between the Mission and the Vice Chancellor for Research & Dean of the Graduate School Costas Tsatsoulis and Associate Dean and Director of the Graduate School of Southern Illinois University (SIU) Karen Jones in December 2023 which resulted in SIU expressing its interest in collaborating with educational entities in Sri Lanka. A subsequent formal proposition by the SIU was shared with renowned public and private educational entities in Sri Lanka. As a result, among others, NSBM Green University in Sri Lanka expressed its interest to discuss the proposition further which led to the successful finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the SIU and the NSBM Green University on 26 March 2024.
Subsequent to the signing of the MOU, a visit was undertaken on 12 April 2024 to the SIU in Carbondale by the Minister of Education Susil Premajayanth along with Vice Chancellor of the NSBM E.A. Weerasinghe and other officials to discuss further collaboration in the areas of research, exchange of knowledge, and faculty/student exchange collaborations.
It is worth noting that the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) has also entered into a MoU with the SIU. Furthermore, educational institutions in Sri Lanka, including Moratuwa University, Open University of Sri Lanka, and Nagananda International Institute for Buddhist Studies (NIIBS) are presently in the process of finalizing their respective MoUs.
The Ambassador and other officials of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington D.C. met with Vice Chancellor for Research & Dean of the Graduate School of SIU Costas Tsatsoulis at the Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington on 25 April 2024 to express their appreciation to the SIU in paving the way for a world of opportunities for Sri Lankan students, faculty and researchers.
First chartered in 1869, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU or SIUC) is a public research University in Carbondale, Illinois., United States. Originally founded as a normal college (a school for teachers), it was granted University status in 1943 and started offering graduate degrees in 1950. SIUC is ranked in the top 5% of US Universities based on the Carnegie classification (the leading framework for recognizing and describing institutional diversity in U.S. higher education). SIU is classified as a High Research Activity – a Doctoral University that receives a substantial amount of funds annually for research, training, and service-based grants and contracts.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington D.C.
26 April 2024
