The visit was the first meeting at Guilford by Venda officials since President Kyle Farmbry signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the university in July in South Africa.

“It was great getting to show them around the College and the Greensboro area and having them learn more about Guilford’s story,” says Kyle. “I think representatives of both schools learned a lot about each other during the visit.”

Venda officials met with Guilford faculty from Education Studies, Business and Justice and Policy Studies. They also learned more about the Center for Principled Problem Solving & Excellence in Teaching, and Guilford College Rise, a residential program that allows rising high-school seniors to earn college credits.

The three-day visit included tours of the campus and wider community, with some Venda officials attending Guilford’s season-opening home football victory over neighboring Greensboro College.

Kyle hopes the agreement between the schools will lead to future partnerships, including a student and faculty exchange program that could start as early as next summer.

Venda is a rural university in Thohoyandou in the Limpopo province.

“I’m excited about the opportunities of having our students experience South Africa,” says Kyle. “There are some exchanges that we could create looking at educational needs in the community, or sustainable food initiatives and systems, and climate change. There’s a lot of possibilities for collaboration.”

Venda Vice Chancellor Bernard Nthambeleni says he’s “extremely excited” about partnering with Guilford. “The world’s problems don’t stop at our borders,” he says. “That’s why we are honored to be at Guilford College meeting with President Farmbry and faculty. Our schools can greatly benefit from the resources we will be sharing.”