FLORENCE – Officials with the University of North Alabama and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) announced that the two entities will be teaming up to form a partnership.
The partnership between UNA and IFDC will be a collaboration on a range of issues, including education and human capacity building; the sharing of technical knowledge, market information and professional contacts; and work on proposals related to client or donor-funded activities. All of which may pertain to the local community and world-wide.
“UNA’s collaboration with a respected organization like IFDC can only serve to strengthen our community and open new pathways for benefitting our service region,” said UNA President Ken Kitts. “By formalizing our long-standing partnership with IFDC, we hope to increase both the breadth and the depth of the work our two organizations can accomplish together.”
In order to accomplish these goals, UNA will establish an internship initiative with IFDC to include programs in the UNA College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Human Sciences, Anderson College of Nursing and Universities Libraries.
“We’re happy to officially partner with the University of North Alabama,” said Dr. J. Scott Angle, president and CEO of IFDC. “Forging partnerships is a large part of what we do — whether between farmers and private companies in Africa or between our research staff and universities.
“While we’ve been working together with UNA and sharing expertise for many years, it’s great to have an official relationship with such an exciting organization. We’re looking forward to ensuring the continued growth of our staff and university students through this partnership,” he said.
UNA’s partnership with IFDC is slated to last five years, but may be extended by both parties.
The IFDC was created in 1974 to help in the quest for global food security, with emphasis on the developing countries in the tropics and subtropics. IFDC is incorporated in the state of Alabama as a non-profit organization and designated by U.S. presidential decree as a public international organization (PIO). IFDC’s mission is to facilitate the sustainable improvement of agricultural productivity through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound plant-nutrient technology and agricultural marketing expertise.
Media Release/University of North Alabama/Bryan Rachal
