Dr Tinashe Ndoro, Senior Lecturer in UP’s Department of Marketing Management, received the University Partnership Initiative (UPI) impact-orientated travel grant to visit Michigan State University (MSU) as part of the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) from 28 December 2023 to 11 January 2024. The objective of his educational visit was to create and strengthen partnerships with MSU staff and discuss opportunities for long-term collaboration.
During his visit, he had meetings with several MSU researchers, AAP staff, and the Dean of International Studies and Programs. He also met with the interim Director of the African Studies Centre, which entailed a discussion of the nature of research done by the Centre.
Interestingly, on New Year’s Day he was invited to dinner by the Director of the Institute for Ubuntu Thought and Practice, and an insightful scholarly discussion took place. He was also fortunate to have a peek at student life at MSU when he was invited by two staff members to have lunch in one of the University’s dining halls.
He visited the Eli Broad Graduate School of Business and met with the Dean, who is a well-accomplished scholar in group and team dynamics research. He also met with the Chair of the Department of Marketing, who is a top researcher in marketing and has publications in top-rated journals. In that meeting, he got some insight on how to engage in high-impact research. Whilst at MSU, he was also joined in some of his meetings by his colleague at the University of Pretoria, Dr Rejoice Tobias-Mamina, who is part of the 11-month African Futures Research Leadership Program at MSU.
Since MSU is a university that values excellence in both academics and sports, he was also invited to watch an ice hockey match in which MSU played. At this match, he witnessed how MSU staff and students, as well as the broader Lansing community, rally behind their sports teams. “This experience left an impression on me regarding the role that universities can play in creating a sense of ‘togetherness’ in the communities that they are embedded in,” said Dr Ndoro.
The enriching experience that Dr Ndoro had from his meetings at MSU rejuvenated him as a scholar – he is now determined to engage in impactful high-quality research. He established networks with some MSU scholars which he believes will result in long-term collaborations.
In closing, he expressed gratitude to the Department of Research and Innovation (DRI) at the University of Pretoria as well as AAP MSU, with special recognition to Dr José Jackson-Malete, who was responsible for coordinating the visit.
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App