The University of Tulsa has formed a new partnership with the University of Vaasa in Vaasa, Finland – a vibrant sustainability-focused ecosystem. With this new partnership, TU students and faculty will have opportunities to study, teach and conduct research at the University of Vaasa, and their Finnish counterparts will be able to come to TU for academic engagement. The first group of students are expected to participate in the exchange program as early as fall 2023, and the research collaboration among faculty has already started.
The University of Vaasa was founded in 1968, consisting of four academic schools: School of Accounting and Finance, School of Management, School of Marketing & Communications and School of Technology & Innovations. As one of the largest business universities in Finland, the University of Vaasa is strategically located in an energy transition zone of Finland. Various types of technology-based projects are under development at the university to explore environmentally friendly solutions to energy generation. Vaasa is also the former capital of Finland and home to tourist attractions such as the Tropiclandia Water Park.
This partnership was initiated by TU Collins College of Business Professor Brian Chabowski, who recently spent a year in Vaasa as a Fulbright scholar. “A relationship with the University of Vaasa is greatly beneficial for The University of Tulsa,” Chabowski said. “Similar to the overall strengths of the country itself, University of Vaasa faculty members study topics focused on social and environmental sustainability to allow for research partnerships and exchanges on this emerging topic and beyond.”
TU currently has more than 30 active global partnerships and affiliations supported through the Center for Global Engagement.
“This latest partnership will further expand TU’s internationalization initiatives. We are eager to welcome students and scholars from the University of Vaasa and to give our own students and faculty the opportunity to pursue academic work in Finland,” said Provost George Justice.