Guilford College and South Africa’s University of Venda have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to forge new academic relationships and engage in other collaborative programs.

The agreement, which runs through July 2028, was signed by President Kyle Farmbry and Venda Vice Chancellor Bernard Nthambeleni (above, left) on July 17 after a delegation from the College met with Venda faculty and leaders and toured the campus.

Guilford and Venda will collaborate in ways that leverage academic strengths, faculty expertise, resources and technology to enhance student learning. The agreement encourages the exchange of faculty members and students between schools, and joint organization of conferences and another programs.

“The University of Venda is a phenomenal institution with an important community role in South Africa’s higher education landscape,” said Kyle. “This partnership will allow our students, faculty and staff to collaborate in critical areas such as sustainability, education and community development in unique ways that will ensure learning between our nations.”

In Guilford, Bernard said, Venda has found the right partner to grow the school’s enrollment and research. “We are very selective in who we choose to invest in, and when it comes to expanding and growing as a university, which is why we are happy to be here tonight signing this (agreement) with Dr. Farmbry and Guilford.”

In August, a delegation from Venda will spend several days at Guilford meeting with faculty and administrators to expand on the agreement.

Monday’s signing comes six years after Kyle first visited Venda, an agricultural university located in Limpopo, South Africa’s northernmost province.

“I remember coming here or for the first time and leaving thinking I wanted to come back and work with this place and its people,” said Kyle. “That didn’t change when I became president at Guilford College (in 2022). In fact, as I got to know Guilford better, I saw how these two schools were a perfect match for each other.“

Venda is home to seven academic schools: Agriculture, Education, Environmental Science, Health Sciences, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and the UNIVEN School of Law.

Venda officials say this is the first MoU — a formal agreement that stops short of being a legal document – the University has signed with a U.S. college. Bernard said both schools are committing their students and faculty to solving problems not just in their communities, but also across the globe.

“The world’s problems don’t stop at our borders,” Bernard said. “The answers to those problems shouldn’t be limited, too. With Guilford we have a good partner to help us identify those solutions.”

This is the second agreement Guilford has entered into with a South African university. In February, the College signed a similar MoU with the University of Pretoria. Guilford’s delegation visited that university last week to discuss next steps to that agreement.