South Dakota Mines Expands International Opportunities Through an MOU with the University of Papua New Guinea

A new agreement recently signed between South Dakota Mines and the University of Papua New Guinea will create new opportunities for academic collaboration, student and faculty exchanges and joint research.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) formalizes a growing relationship between the two institutions, building on existing connections through Papua New Guinea’s government-supported STEM scholarship program, which is bringing students to universities across the Dakotas to develop the technical expertise needed to support their nation’s future.

A delegation from the island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean visited Mines last year during a tour of United States universities to explore opportunities for educational collaboration.

The goal, said Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Education Lucas Dawa Dekena during the visit, is for students to “bring back the American spirit and can-do attitude” to help drive innovation and growth at home. The visit was part of an initiative to send the country's top students abroad for advanced training in STEM fields.

The virtual signing between Mines and UPNG included Mines President Brian Tande, Ph.D.; Rudra Mitra, Ph.D., interim department head for the university’s mining engineering and management department; Alex M. Berenberg, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; and Ian Findlay, the UPNG vice-chancellor. 

“South Dakota Mines has a long history of preparing students and conducting research in fields that address some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” Tande said. “This is a very natural partnership between our institutions and between our countries. I want to see us building that relationship to the fullest extent.”

The MOU establishes a framework for cooperation in several areas, including faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research and academic programming. The institutions also plan to explore potential two-plus-two undergraduate programs, which would allow students to complete two years of study at each university and potentially earn degrees through the partnership.

“This MOU is a concrete example of the strong and growing partnership between the United States of America and Papua New Guinea, particularly through education and people-to-people ties,” said Berenberg. “It brings together two institutions with complementary strengths and creates new opportunities for Papua New Guinea and American students and faculty, researchers, and others to learn and work together. This partnership is particularly exciting because of South Dakota Mines' expertise in STEM, mining engineering, and natural resources fields that are directly relevant to the economy here in Papua New Guinea and its future workforce.”

The partnership builds on Papua New Guinea’s growing investment in STEM education. More than 120 students from Papua New Guinea are studying at universities across North and South Dakota through the country’s scholarship initiative, including 12 students from Papua New Guinea who began their studies at Mines this fall.

Beyond academic cooperation, the partnership offers opportunities to strengthen cultural understanding, build professional networks and connect researchers working on shared challenges.

“It's a very, very exciting day for all of us at the University of Papua New Guinea,” said Findlay. “We take our international partnerships very, very seriously. We strongly believe in the value of international partnerships, not just on the value of student and faculty exchanges, but also cultural exchange. Papua New Guinea has a very, very rich culture. Papua New Guinea has 840 individual languages and over 1000 tribes, so we have an incredible culture, an incredible culture that we want to share with the rest of the world. I view UPNG and South Dakota Mines as natural partners, hand in glove. Let’s work together for the benefit of all our students and all the faculty.”

The UPNG agreement reflects Mines’ commitment to building international relationships that strengthen its academic programs, expand research opportunities and prepare graduates to work in an increasingly interconnected world.

“This is an exciting opportunity to develop new collaborations and exchanges,” said Mitra, who helped advance discussions between the institutions since the initial conversations began in summer 2024.

The university also recently signed an MOU with Taita Taveta University in Kenya. The international agreement comes after Sarah Wheeler Keenan, Ph.D., and Mines associate professor of geology and geological engineering, spent a month at Taita Taveta University in Voi, Kenya, to help the institution design and launch one of the country's only underground geology programs. Keenan will travel to Africa after being selected by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Program award.

As Mines continues to expand its global engagement, the agreement with the University of Papua New Guinea and Taita Taveta University provides a foundation for future collaboration and reinforces the university’s role in developing the talent, knowledge and partnerships needed to address challenges around the world.