Mount Marty Announces Collaboration With University In Czech Republic
October 1, 2018
Mount Marty College (MMC) is looking to create a new partnership that could potentially expand its students’ horizons globally.
On Monday, MMC announced that it is planning to collaborate with the Czech Republic’s University of South Bohemia as part of a transfer program for both institutions’ students and faculty members.
Located in Ceské Budejovice in the Czech Republic, the University of South Bohemia is a public university with approximately 12,000 students that specializes in natural and social sciences, and serves as a major research and development center.
“It could be both bachelor’s and master’s,” he said. “It depends on having students or faculty that are interested.”
Creating a partnership with an international university has been a goal MMC President Dr. Marc Long has strived towards since he came to Yankton in 2015.
“Mount Marty has never really had a long-term successful international partnership with another university,” he said. “Given the Czech culture and history of this part of the country, I thought it’d be perfect.”
He and MMC Vice President of Advancement Barb Rezac met with Czech Republic United States ambassador Hynek Kmonicek several months ago about a potential partnership with one of the country’s universities. After also getting in touch with the Consulate General of the Czech Republic located in Chicago, Long was directed to the University of South Bohemia. He heard from Kral not long after.
Kral will be in Yankton until Wednesday to tour the area and meet with MMC faculty.
He noted that parts of the Yankton area reminded him of his home country.
“We have a similar lake to Lewis & Clark Lake,” he said. “If I didn’t see the sign posts as we were driving through the countryside, it would be quite similar to the Czech Republic.”
The University of Bohemia has transfer programs with about 50 countries. It already has partnerships with two U.S. schools: the University of Wyoming and Minnesota State University, Mankato.
“(Mount Marty College) is another we’d like to add,” Kral said.
Students who would transfer from one school to the other would have the opportunity to live on campus and experience a new culture. That opportunity also extends to faculty from both places.