The University of Chicago has signed a new partnership agreement with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). Under the agreement the University of Chicago will provide faculty members and graduate students to AIMS centers across Africa to assist in the training of AIMS graduate students.
Scholars from the University of Chicago will work with AIMS graduate students to develop curriculum that they can use to teach mathematics in their own countries. The collaboration will also identify AIMS students who might consider doctoral programs in mathematics or other STEM fields at the University of Chicago. In addition, it is hoped that scholars from both institutions will collaborate on research projects.
The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences was established in 2003 in Cape Town. It has expanded with campuses in Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania, and Senegal. The goal is the establishment of a network of 23 AIMS campuses throughout Africa by 2023.
Eric D. Isaacs, provost at the University of Chicago, stated that “the partnership between AIMS and the University of Chicago is designed to facilitate and develop a genuine and mutually beneficial collaboration for education, training, research and public engagement activities. We feel it is critical to bring outstanding scholars from the University of Chicago and from across Africa together to address great teaching and research.”
The University of Chicago should expend similar time, energy along with fiscal resources cultivating African Americans in mathematics education (i.e., the Chicagoland area). It’s quite amazing how scores of American universities (i.e., HWCUs) are so eager to establish academic partnerships with people from other countries. However, they consistently fail to establish similar intellectual partnerships with those who live within a stones throw of their university.