Global Education Office

Partnership Week brings international partners together to create stronger collaborations

Contact: Nicol Tinsley
VCU Global Education Office
(804) 828-6463
nctinsley@vcu.edu

Richmond, VA (February 18, 2026) - Virginia Commonwealth University welcomed to campus nine delegates from international partner institutions during its inaugural Partnership Week. Sponsored by the Global Education Office, the event brought together partner university leaders and representatives from across the globe for meetings aimed at determining creative ways to expand and strengthen partnership initiatives. These international partners engaged in elevated conversations focused on continued collaborations, and their time on campus allowed VCU to showcase the wide range of opportunities that exist for international collaboration.

“Partnership Week represents VCU’s commitment to fostering international collaborations that provide opportunities for faculty, staff, and students,” said Jill Blondin, Ph.D., vice provost for global initiatives.

During the event, partners met with President Michael Rao, PhD., as well as specific VCU deans and staff of academic and administrative units, including the Global Education Office, the School of Business, the School of Dentistry, the College of Engineering and the School of Education. Sariah Carrier, director of global partnerships, stated the event “will highlight how global collaboration serves to strengthen VCU, its partners, and surrounding communities.”

“These discussions will allow faculty and staff to explore specific opportunities with our partners to broaden global engagement and to strategize on our shared goals of building global citizens and broadening minds through intercultural exchange of all kinds,” said Carrier.

The following international education leaders represented their universities during the event:

• Tamara Mihalap, U.S. university representative, Accademia Italiana (AI), Italy
• Basma Zeidan, director, Office of International Programs, American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon
• Aubree Compton, associate dean of North American Enrollment and Study Abroad, The American College of Greece (ACG), Greece
• Dr. Hussein Alsheakh, director of administration, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq (Washington, D.C.), Iraq
• Dr. Haider Kadhum, Iraqi Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Republic of Iraq (Washington, D.C.), Iraq
• Dónal Ryan, director of international programs, ESIC University, Spain
• Dr. Naomi Kagawa, faculty of education, Shimane University, Japan
• Nora Geer, southeast institutional relations coordinator; SSA Education Abroad, USA
• Dr. Isidro Fierro, rector, Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES), Ecuador

As part of the scheduled activities, VCU signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES) in Ecuador. Isidro Fierro, Ph.D., rector of UEES met with Arturo Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., VCU's interim executive vice president and provost, Hernan Bucheli, Ed.D., vice president for strategic enrollment management and student success, and Paulo Zagalo-Melo, Ph.D., senior internationalization strategist, to sign the document signifying the beginning of the promising partnership between the universities.

An additional featured activity included a student panel luncheon during which the partners engaged in a discussion with VCU international students, who discussed their experiences while studying at VCU. Saif Alotaibi, a junior pursuing a pre-medical track from Kuwait and Ognjen Vukic, a freshman majoring in music from Serbia gave overviews of their journeys to VCU, and how they have acclimated themselves to the university and the Richmond area.

This week is anticipated to be the start of a regularly occurring event, as it gives established partners an opportunity to discuss and develop new engagement opportunities between the universities.

“We are so excited to host this event and welcome our partners to campus. We hope that it will emphasize VCU’s commitment to international engagement and jumpstart more conversations with our valued partners about ways our universities can collaborate,” said Carrier.