Celebration event marked 40 years of a special international partnership

Graduates and students past and present came together in the new SEE building to celebrate the milestone anniversary to reminisce and catch up and share memories and experiences. And some fabulous photos from the past 40 years were on show and can be seen below.

The relationship began in 1984 with four Chemistry students going over to the US but has since grown and in total 556 students have crossed the Atlantic in one direction or the other in subjects such as Biomedicine, Chemistry, Geography, Physics and some Business related courses. Among guests at the event was John Willsher, who travelled over to Toledo in 1984-85 for an experience which changed his life.

Professor Sam Grogan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Experience at Salford welcomed attendees and talked about the value of international partnerships, especially at a time of worldwide uncertainty.

Associate Dean and Toledo’s Director of the Salford partnership, Brian Ashburner from Toledo University, said: “This programme had had a huge impact on lots of peoples lives, it has been really quite emotional to hear some of the stories. I’m proud of what we have here.”

Darren Brooks, Salford’s exchange programme lead, commented: “This enduring exchange partnership has had enormous positive impacts upon the student experience and shaped people’s lives in profound ways.  It’s been a privilege to be involved in each student journey and I hope the stories that our alumni have shared will encourage other students to think about broadening their education with some form of international experience.”