Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Vice-Chancellor of Edith Cowan University (ECU), Professor Steve Chapman, paid a courtesy call, yesterday, on the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, at the MITD House in Phoenix.
He was accompanied by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) and Vice-President at ECU, Mr Jake Garman; the Manager, International Operations at ECU, Ms Nathalie Bergon; and the Chargé d’Affaires from the Australian High Commission, Ms Katie Lalor.
In a statement after the meeting, Professor Chapman said that he had a very fruitful meeting with the Vice-Prime Minister adding that he had wide ranging discussions on how to work across Australia and Mauritius to encourage student and staff exchange as well as joint degrees.
He stated that they are also looking to partner with universities in Mauritius where they can mutually benefit by attracting international students especially from Africa to Mauritius.
Discussions, he underlined, also focused on how to help further the education space, the technical college space and schools. According to him, there is a big opportunity in all of these areas to be developed across Australia and Mauritius.
Professor Chapman recalled that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed yesterday with the University of Mauritius as regards student exchange, new degrees and joint curriculum.
He recalled that an MoU had been signed with the University of Mauritius in 2017 which has been very successful in particular in the field of research.
As regards his visit to Mauritius, he said that a team of 20 representatives from the ECU is presently in the country to have discussions with partners from different Mauritian Universities and educational institutions.
The Chargé d’Affaires from the Australian High Commission, Ms Katie Lalor, for her part, said that she supports the signing of the MoU between the University of Mauritius and the ECU that will renew and deepen the collaboration between the two countries.
She recalled that both countries have a long history of collaboration particularly in education. Acknowledging the warm relations between Australia and Mauritius, Ms Lalor rejoiced at witnessing further collaboration especially in areas of high-end education.
Professional career of Professor Steve Chapman Professor Steve Chapman commenced his role as Vice-Chancellor and President of ECU in April 2015. Prior to joining ECU, Professor Chapman was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University from 2009, and Vice-Principal at the University of Edinburgh from 2006.
Professor Chapman holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from Newcastle University. In 2001, he received the Interdisciplinary Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry for his ground-breaking work at the interface of Chemistry and Biology.
He has published over 200 scientific papers in prestigious journals and has given numerous Plenary Lectures at International Conferences. He was one of the founders of ScotCHEM, the research “pooling” exercise in Chemistry across Scotland.
In 2005, Professor Chapman was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and in 2011 he received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Edinburgh. In 2016, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to higher education.
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