UNG signs cadet exchange agreement with Polish academy

MALF, headquartered in Wroclaw, cooperates with more than 30 foreign institutions, as well as with universities in Turkey, Slovakia, Italy, Spain and Cyprus, but the agreement with UNG marks the first time the organization has partnered with an American university to offer professional military education. The direct-enrollment program, in which UNG students will enroll in the institute, is the only one of its kind.

"This agreement reinforces UNG’s dedication to promoting military leadership, cross-cultural communication and negotiations abroad, and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations," said retired Col. James T. Palmer, UNG's commandant of cadets.

UNG plans to begin sending students to MALF in March 2017 and also plans to work together with the institution on research and development projects while applying the science of defense, security and governance in the training of future officers.

Cadets from UNG will travel to Poland to participate in the MALF program and later that year, a Polish cadet will attend UNG for one semester, thanks to a $10,000 scholarship sponsored by UNG.

"We are impressed by UNG’s international focus and strong focus on expanding their military programs. This agreement is just the beginning of the partnership between MALF and UNG. We are looking forward to expanding our joint programming and to mutually supporting our Polish-American programming," said Maj. Piotr Pietrakowski, assistant professor at MALF.

The agreement between UNG and MALF was signed this summer during the International Military Academic Forum, an annual event created to exchange experiences, but also strengthen cooperation in the field of education and training of future officers of the European Union countries.

The UNG/MALF exchange is one of many partnerships either being created or already established between UNG and schools across the world, fulfilling UNG's strategic vision to help students become globally competent citizens. 

UNG offers global opportunities for students, faculty and staff through a variety of international partnerships, exchanges and study abroad programs. Specialized global opportunities for students in the Corps of Cadets at UNG include federally funded programs such as Project Global Officer, Chinese Language Flagship and the university's Language Training Center.