05/16 /14 sry

HAYS, Kan. -- An institution in Rabat, Morocco, is Fort Hays State University's newest international partner, after reaching a 2-plus-2 transfer agreement in information systems engineering with the International Institute of Higher Education in Morocco (IIHEM).

A 2-plus-2 agreement allows for students to complete courses in a particular program and then guarantees its ability to transfer between institutions.

"FHSU is always interested in partnering with highly respected universities to leverage opportunities for students of both parties," said Dr. Chris Crawford, interim provost. "This partnership is particularly exciting as we develop our Information Systems Engineering program. Naturally we see great benefit with having students of other nationalities come to our campus and interact with our student body."

The agreement, signed in April, allows for academic credits to be transferred from IIHEM to FHSU. The agreement is designed specifically for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in information systems engineering. A student who completes the common two-year engineering curriculum at IIHEM can then transfer to FHSU to complete a bachelor's degree.

For the credits to transfer, students need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 with a grade C or higher in the courses.

"We already signed similar 2-plus-2 agreements for information systems engineering with three community colleges in Colorado -- Otero, Trinidad and Pikes Peak," said Dr. Houssain Kettani, professor and director of FHSU's Information Systems Engineering program.

FHSU and Kettani recently hosted its first international conference on information systems engineering. The conference was organized by the South Asia Institute of Science and Engineering, a non-profit association promoting international education in science and engineering.

A total of 14 papers were published in the International Journal of Information and Electronics, Volume 4, Issue 4 concerning new ideas in the field of information systems engineering.

The conference drew 35 researchers representing institutions from Algeria, Canada, China, India, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Their research was published and is available online at http://ijiee.org/list-46-1.html

FHSU is the only university in the state of Kansas accredited for information systems engineering and is one of only two in the United States.