UMSL hosts delegation from the University of the Western Cape in honor of longtime international partnership

UMSL hosts delegation from the University of the Western Cape in honor of longtime international partnership

by Burk Krohe | Sep 18, 2026

The University of Missouri-St. Louis community was excited to welcome a special delegation from the University of the Western Cape on Sept. 14.

Interim Chancellor Chris Spilling led academic leaders from the South African university on a whirlwind tour of UMSL's cutting-edge facilities including the API Innovation Center, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, Geospatial Collaborative, Nursing Simulation Lab and Patient Care Center. The itinerary also included a luncheon at the Ed Collabitat on South Campus with UMSL administrators, faculty and staff.

Monday's visit was part of a weeklong tour of the University of Missouri System in celebration of the University of Missouri South Africa Education Program's 40th anniversary. The trip also included stops in Columbia, where the official 40th anniversary ceremony took place, and Kansas City later in the week.

"It's really wonderful to see that the UM System schools are still strongly committed to this partnership," said University of Missouri-Columbia Vice Provost for International Programs Mary Stegmaier. "It has such a rich legacy, an important legacy, but we also see so many opportunities for future innovation and research that benefits our faculty, their faculty, but also both of our communities."

In June 1986, the UM System and UWC signed a formal memorandum of academic cooperation, establishing the groundbreaking international program. Since that time, the two institutions have partnered to advance cross-cultural understanding and foster cooperative teaching, research and service projects between faculty and students.

Over the past four decades, UMSAEP has facilitated more than 1,000 faculty exchanges across many fields through grant funding of up to $10,000 and hundreds of student exchanges through the Henry Mitchell Scholarship and other opportunities.

This year, the UM System and UWC are saluting those successes via events in both countries. In March, University of Missouri President Mun Choi attended a special 40th anniversary ceremony in Cape Town that brought together more than 100 current and former UMSAEP participants and institutional leaders. Associate Professor Alina Slapac was on hand to represent UMSL and to present her work with UWC Associate Professor Karen Collett on Collaborative Online International Learning - or COIL - courses, which was supported by UMSAEP grants in 2021 and 2022. They recently received an additional UMSAEP grant for 2026-27 to continue expanding their work at the institutional level at both UMSL and UWC.

Slapac, who has served as an UMSAEP committee member since 2025, was thrilled to return the hospitality and host UWC representatives in St. Louis.

"We are delighted to welcome our colleagues from the University of the Western Cape," she said. "This is a valued partnership, and it is wonderful to welcome our guests and celebrate together the achievements of faculty, students and staff throughout this 40-year collaboration."

The UWC delegation included Rector and Vice Chancellor Robert Balfour, Dean of Education Rajendran Govender, Dean of Natural Sciences David Holgate, Dean of Arts and Humanities Fatima Moolla, Dean of Community and Health Sciences Anita Padmanabhanunni, Professor of Information Systems Shaun Pather, Director of International Relations Tasmeera Rajcoomar Singh, Deputy Dean of Economic and Management Sciences Carolien van den Berg and Dean of Dentistry Jeff Yengopal.

The group's expedition to the Show-Me State began last weekend with outings to popular St. Louis attractions. On Saturday, Stegmaier and UMSAEP Director Rodney Uphoff accompanied the delegates to the Missouri Botanical Garden. The next day, they took the UWC contingent to Busch Stadium to cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals as they faced the Chicago White Sox. The group enjoyed an electric atmosphere in Ballpark Village, witnessing the home team's thrilling 3-1 victory with more than 34,000 other spectators.

"President Choi threw out the first ceremonial pitch, and for many of them, it was their very first American baseball game," Stagmaier said. "It was fun and a beautiful day to be out and about."

Monday's tour of campus began with a stroll through the UMSL Science Complex, where Geospatial Collaborative Director Reda Amer and API Innovation Center President of Government and External Affairs Gerren McHam spoke with the majority of the UWC delegation. Holgate was absent, as he had joined Uphoff on a separate trip to the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Next, Dean Shu Schiller and Professor Haitao Li, who recently traveled to South Africa with the support of an UMSAEP grant, discussed the Laboratory of Advanced Supply Chain Analytics at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. The day continued with a luncheon before viewings of the Nursing Simulation Lab and Patient Care Center.

Govender was particularly impressed by the APIIC's Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, which is working to strengthen domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients - APIs - and finished drug products - FDPs - through continuous flow and other innovative technologies.

"It was interesting to see how this is practically done in a laboratory, the scaling and the precision and the amount of apparatus that's involved," Govender said. "You're making a contribution to the community and the nation in terms of the generic medication that is exceptional. So, you are doing research for the community and for self-growth and also adding to the economy."

Like Li and Slapac, Govender previously benefitted from UMSAEP support on a project with MU Professor Samuel Otten. Looking ahead, Govender said collaborations on early childhood education and inclusive education are in the works, and he anticipates building on existing partnerships in the coming years.

"We are developing programs that will enable our prospective teachers and in-service teachers to gain the necessary competencies," Govender said. "I'm looking forward to collaboration with colleagues in the areas of math education, science education, early childhood education, inclusive education and the whole spectrum of information technology."

College of Education Dean Marius Boboc echoed Govender's enthusiasm. Boboc is looking to expand opportunities for student exchanges as well as joint research projects, which have the potential to impact curricula and professional practice across borders. Indeed, the UMSAEP projects on deck for 2027 promise to strengthen existing bonds and create new avenues of inquiry.

"We are thrilled that 15 collaborative projects have received funding from the UMSAEP for 2026-2027," Slapac said. "These projects will enable faculty to continue important research, sustain partnerships developed over many years, and build new collaborations. They will also create meaningful opportunities for students to engage in cross-cultural learning, research and academic exchange. It is exciting to see these partnerships continue to grow and benefit both faculty and students."

In Columbia, Choi spoke to that excitement for the future and decades of shared purpose during a 40th anniversary program that mirrored March's ceremony in Cape Town.

"We are proud to celebrate 40 years of our transformative partnership with the University of the Western Cape," he said. "These historic exchanges have produced important research breakthroughs and close friendships that benefit each institution and both countries while also strengthening our mission to serve Missourians. We look forward to many more years of growth, collaboration and shared success."

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