College of Engineering hosts Latvian delegation to discuss joint degree program

DETROIT (May 21, 2012) - On May 4, the Wayne State University College of Engineering welcomed a delegation of eight faculty members and administrators from Riga Technical University (RTU) in Riga, Latvia, to continue discussions on joint academic and exchange programs. Specifically, progress was made in outlining a three-plus-two program structure for RTU students interested in pursuing graduate studies at Wayne State upon completion of three years of coursework at their home institution.

Uldis Sukovskis, RTU vice-rector for Academic Affairs, and Janis Grevins, director of the Riga Business School, along with deans of RTU's faculty of architecture and urban planning, faculty of power and electrical engineering, and the deputy director of RTU's Heat, Gas and Water Technology Institute, discussed active WSU College of Engineering research activities with Carol Miller, chair of civil and environmental engineering, and Yang Zhao, chair of electrical and computer engineering. Simon Ng, associate dean of research, Caisheng Wang, associate professor of engineering technology, and Marcis Jansons, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, guided tours of the College of Engineering and NextEnergy laboratories.

College of Engineering Dean Farshad Fotouhi hosted the visit. Ahmad Ezzedine, associate vice president for Educational Outreach and International Programs, shared his experience with successfully implementing similar agreements with WSU's partner institutions around the world. Margaret Williams, dean of the WSU School of Business, and Ambika Mathur, associate dean of the WSU Graduate School, exchanged ideas on cooperation with their counterparts from Latvia.