SLIPPERY ROCK — Pamela Frigot, director of Slippery Rock University’s office of global engagement, and a contingent of SRU administrators just returned from a 12-day initiative that opened new opportunities for SRU students and faculty as well as international students.

Frigot and the contingent represented SRU at a two-city/five-day education expo in Sri Lanka.

They had meetings with SRU partners at the University of Peradeniya and American National College and with potential partners, including the American College of Higher Education, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, National School of Business Management, Gateway Graduate School, and the Graduate Institute of Science and Management.

Joining Frigot on the trip were SRU President Cheryl Norton; Philip Way, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs; Susan Hannam, dean of the College of Health, Environment and Science; Bruce Orvis, associate professor and chair of SRU’s School of Business; and Athula Herat, associate professor of physics and pre-engineering.

Frigot said some of the sessions involved higher education institutions at which SRU already has agreements but is looking toward program expansion. She said some of the Sri Lankan institutions already have their students enrolled at SRU.

“With some of the programs, I would expect we will finalize agreements throughout the spring semester and into summer, and we could have programs up and running for this year’s winter break that are similar to our spring semester study abroad programs,” she said.

“In total, we visited seven institutions, three of them where we have had previous talks, and came away with very exciting plans.”

The talks covered many SRU academic programs ranging from business, tourism and travel, to health sciences and online pedagogy classes, she said.

The National School of Business Management in Sri Lanka and SRU are working on the possibility of offering degrees together in the sciences and other areas as well.

“SRU is looking at a host of programs, including some direct transfer, and others in information sciences and information technology that could involve international students,” she said.

Some of the programs could be open to faculty sabbaticals, she said.