Recently, it was announced that Louisiana State University was the co-recipient of an international award that recognizes the most innovative and effective models for expanding and developing international education in practice today, according to an LSU Press news release.

LSU has been named the co-recipient of the 2022 IIE Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Educationin the category of Strategic Partnerships for the LSU AgCenter-MENDELU Partnership. The award was given on behalf of the Institute of International Education, or IIE. The bestowing of this internationally-sought after award recognized the impactful and innovative partnership between both LSU AgCenter and Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic.

The 2022 IIE Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education in the category of Strategic Partnershipswas given to both the LSU AgCenter and Mendel University in order to officially recognize and celebrate the multidisciplinary and multidimensional partnership that was originally initiated by the Agricultural Center and primarily focused on agrisciences.

Since its initial conception in 2015, this partnership between LSU and Mendel University has reportedly “created nearly 90 new linkages for research and teaching and has expanded to include the LSU College of Art & Design, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and LSU Leadership Development Institute.” As further listed in the news release, the partnership’s goals include “ joint research, grant proposals, student exchange, faculty exchange, joint courses, a summer school, and a food symposium.”

The partnership between the LSU AgCenter and MENDELU has clearly been seen internationally as an innovative, educational model for collaboration that can be sustainable, creative, and engaging, despite challenges. For instance, even throughout the pandemic, the LSU AgCenter and MENDELU have worked in close collaboration online in order to continue engagement and to develop new programming. More information on the LSU AgCenter’s partnership with Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic can be found in the collaboration’s 2014-2020 Partnership Report.

Interim Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the LSU College of Agriculture Dr. Luke Laborde, commented on receiving the international honor in saying, “we are excited and gratified by this recognition of our collaboration withMendel University. It is a tribute to the ingenuity and adaptability of the faculty of both universities leading to the success of this collaboration even in the face of a global pandemic. I am truly grateful to our faculty and staff and particularly Ms. Ivana Tregenza, the Director of our Global Network, for leading our efforts.”

IIE awarded LSU along with six other institutions this past year in the category of widening access to international education, student mobility, exchange, strategic partnerships, and models of international education financial support. A full list of this year’s winning initiatives and 150+ programs that have been recognized and given a Heiskell Award to date has been released by the IIE.

Senior International Officer Samba Dieng of LSU also commented on the impact of the LSU AgCenter Global Network director saying “Ms. Ivana Tregenza, LSU AgCenter Global Network director, deserves credit for nurturing this partnership to what is now a gold standard in the field. Her work with colleagues at MENDELU to deepen engagement, even during a global pandemic, is exemplary of creativity and innovation.”

Named after Andrew Heiskell, a former chairman of Time Inc. and a member of the executive committee of IIKE’s Board of Trustees, the IIE Heiskell Awards were created in 2001 in order to promote and honor the most outstanding initiatives being conducted in international higher education institutions by IIENetwork members. Specifically, the award is focused on those  IIENetwork members addressing a specific need, removing institutional barriers, and broadening the base of participation in international teaching and learning.

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