Andrew Billard, a South African student studying at UConn, and Oscar Mabuyane, a visiting student from the Univ. of Fort Hare, reflect our emerging ties with South Africa.

The University of Connecticut continues to emerge as an educational institution with global influence. Its leadership in the area of international human rights was strengthened in 1999-2000 when the United Negro College Fund awarded UConn a $460,000 grant funded by the U.S. A.I.D. for a unique partnership with the University of Fort Hare in South Africa.

The three-year Tertiary Education Linkages Project (TELP) grant will enable UConn faculty, staff and administrators from across the institution to form a mutually beneficial partnership with colleagues at the historially black university.

At the core of UConn's partnership with South Africa is a new model for international interaction, based on the concept that each side can learn from the other. It's a model designed to foster international understanding and cooperation.

"This grant represents a vote of confidence in the University of Connecticut by the people of South Africa. It shows that UConn's approach to building partnerships is distinct and has international appeal," says Amii Omara-Otunnu, an associate professor of history at UConn and project manager for the grant.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, Fort Hare and South Africa's other traditionally black colleges, long deprived of resources, have faced new challenges as the country's well endowed, historically white institutions have begun offering grants and scholarships to top black students. With enrollment at these struggling black colleges declining substantially, the Tertiary Education Linkages Project was established to provide needed support.

Fort Hare, founded in 1916, boasts an impressive roster of alumni. They include the late Oliver Tambo, a long-time anti-apartheid activist and president of the African National Congress, and Govan Mbeki, father of the current president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki. Former South African President Nelson Mandela also studied at Fort Hare.

The value the University attaches to its partnership initiatives in South Africa gave UConn the competitive edge among other applicants for the linkages grant, says Derrick Swartz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare.

"Our choice of [the University of] Connecticut during the TELP bid process was deliberate as we were looking for a solid and reliable long-term international partner," Swartz says. "We see the University of Connecticut as a major asset."

Academic links between the two universities are being forged in the areas of comparative human rights, education and agriculture. UConn is also considering a study abroad program at the University of Fort Hare.

"Institutions, like individuals, are known for the company they keep," says University President Philip E. Austin. "We are deeply honored to be linked with the Republic of South Africa, and specifically with the African National Congress and University of Fort Hare, in this historic endeavor."