The Finnish Consortium for International Education (FCIE) & Alexander College Cyprus signed a memorandum of understanding in the context of a comprehensive cooperation in higher education.
FCIE was established as Finnish umbrella to build international partnerships that allow the application of the unique Finnish higher education principles and practices around the world. FCIE comprises of a wide network of Finnish higher education institutes, academic universities and universities of applied sciences such as Helsinki University, Metropolia University for Applied Sciences, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and University of Eastern Finland.
Alexander College was established in 1991 in Larnaca as a response to the rapid development that the Island of Cyprus was witnessing, especially in the field of technology. It is an environment that provides students with a set of dynamic generic and specific competences, skills, and research by offering high standards degrees following active strategies in higher education programs, in collaboration with national, international and UK Universities, in particular Canterbury Christ Church University .
According to this memorandum of understanding, a wide scope of joint activities aim to internationalize the college’s academic degrees, notably in the regions of Larnaca and Paphos, as both parties agreed to work together to apply Finnish higher education models and best practices across its faculties, degrees, research, curricula development, and student mobility aiming at issuing recognized dual degrees in the near future.
Risto Vahanen, the Chairman of FCIE describes the MoU as a cornerstone in a long-term relationship between FCIE and Alexander College and said: “Alexander College with its unique location in Cyprus could serve as a lighthouse and an education hub that spreads the excellent Finnish higher education features around the Mediterranean Sea”. “I am so excited,” he added.
Alexander College’s Director, Prof. Metanios Halabi said: “The college is starting a new era in its Strategic and academic development that will shortly transform it to a prestigious international higher education interdisciplinary institute, having in its core, state-of-the-art education methodologies applied in the Finnish education system. We aim to create a hub where youth acquire their education with rigorous impact creating leaders in the various sectors.
