Reimagining Academic Solidarity through Strategic Partnerships

REGISTRATION from 13:15

Discussion from 13:30 - 15:00

Reimagining Academic Solidarity through Strategic Partnerships

In a world increasingly defined by interdependence, partnerships between institutions in the Global North and Global South hold immense potential to foster innovation, address shared challenges, and expand access to education. However, these collaborations often risk perpetuating inequities if not designed to ensure balanced mutual benefit. Recognising this, the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Trinity College Dublin and the Central University of Technology in Free State, South Africa, presents a unique opportunity to explore how such agreements can move beyond symbolic gestures to become dynamic frameworks for global academic solidarity.

This roundtable, organised by Trinity Centre for Global Intercultural Communications (CGIC) will bring together diverse perspectives to address critical questions: How can partnerships avoid the pitfalls of dependency and ensure reciprocal exchange? What forms of collaboration under student exchanges, transnational education initiatives, or joint research programs, are most effective in achieving equitable outcomes? How can universities leverage partnerships to elevate voices from the Global South in global transformative conversations?

Audience

This conversation will be valuable for both members of academia and key industry leaders interested in working on global partnerships and collaborations.

Panellists

The discussion will feature insights from four leading academics, an associate director from Trinity Global Engagement, offering a multidimensional perspective on the opportunities and challenges of North-South academic collaboration. The panel will share practical examples of successful initiatives, examine barriers to achieving win-win outcomes, and propose actionable strategies for fostering more equitable and impactful partnerships.

Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa

• Prof Wendy Setlalentoa, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research Innovation & Engagement
• Dr Luzaan Schlebusch, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning
• Dr Titus Williams, Faculty Administrator, Faculty of Humanities

Trinity College Dublin

• Prof Lorna Carson, Head of School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences
• Louise Staunton, Associate Director, Trinity Global Experience

Discussion chaired by Dr Théo Munyangeyo, Trinity College Dublin.

About the event series

This event is part of a series titled Global Intersections organised by Trinity College Dublin's Centre for Global Intercultural Communications (CGIC) in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies. The CGIC is supported by the Higher Education Authority's Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3 (HCI Pillar 3) which aims to increase capacity in higher education to provide skills-focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs.

Centre contact

Mary Clark, Administrator with the Centre for Global Intercultural Communications, may be contacted via email at cgic@tcd.ie with any queries.