Former Chancellor Kathryn Martin may have resigned from her top ranking position at UMD a few short years ago, but her work with the university is not yet over. Martin has been named a Fellow of the University of Worcester, Worcestershire, England, earlier this month. The Worcester College of Fellows conferred the honor in recognition of Martin’s work in setting up a relationship with UW and UMD, through UMD’s Study in England program.
"I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” said Martin in a UMD news release. “The award in part recognizes the outstanding work of our faculty and the enthusiasm of our students for international opportunities."
The Study in England program is UMD’s longest running study abroad program, starting back in the late 1980’s. The university partnership in England was originally with the University of Birmingham, but in 2010 differing interests prompted UMD administrators to seek out other universities with which to team up.
“That’s when Chancellor Martin, and some other people form UMD, went to England looking for other universities that would be good match with UMD,” said Lyndsey Andersen, associate director of UMD’s Study in England Program.
According to Andersen, Martin and her colleagues liked the University of Worecster because of how similar the school was to UMD, both in size and population. U of W is located 135 miles northwest of London, and has a student population similar to UMD-around 10,000 students.
The first Study in England program to travel to Worcestershire happened during the 2011-12 school year. They are currently in their second year as partners with U of W.
“The University of Worcester was very welcoming to us,” Andersen said. “It really is a wonderful relationship. We’re both mutually invested, and we see the benefit for both universities. Martin was conferred the fellowship at the award ceremonies held at Worcester Cathedral, Nov. 6 through Nov. 9.
Martin’s fellowship affords for further development in the relationship between UMD and UW, which is currently in its infancy. Fellows act as ambassadors between the schools, and are considered during political decisions within the relationship. They are invited to major events and meetings and maintain correspondence in a diplomatic capacity.
According to the news release, fellowship grants Martin “the opportunity to use her experience and expertise regarding development opportunities and to help further the University of Worcester's effort to engage with higher education in North America.”
By GRAHAM HAKALA hakal045@d.umn.edu