York College students to visit York College in Pennsylvania as part of 'exciting' new partnership

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in York Minster by York College & University Centre Principal & Chief Executive Ken Merry and York College of Pennsylvania President Dr Thomas Burns that formed “an agreement to promote and enhance an exchange of knowledge by two organisations 3,520 miles apart geographically but closely aligned idealistically”.

Following Dr Burns’ visit to Yorkshire, Mr Merry accepted a reciprocal invitation to spend February half-term in the US, where he learned more about York College of Pennsylvania’s educational offering and teaching methods.

Along with exchange programmes for students, staff will be encouraged to share good practice, with Dr Burns having already introduced the Well-Being Drop-In sessions for students that are run on Campus at Sim Balk Lane.  

Having been impressed by York College’s apprenticeship provision, Dr Burns is also keen to explore whether a similar educational model would work in Pennsylvania.

Mr Merry first broached the idea of a collaboration when he sent an email across the Atlantic last June.

Within half-a-day – “to allow for time difference” – he had received an enthusiastic reply from Dr Burns who quickly spotted that, aside from the name, there were many parallels that connected his organisation whose origins date back to the 1770s, with York College in the UK which will celebrate its 200th anniversary in two years’ time.

“Our biggest programmes are mechanical and civil engineering and nursing, but we’re an all-service college and I think there’s a chance for us to learn about new programmes and opportunities. I see a pipeline for collaboration with A Levels over here for example.

“We could see, just on the surface, that this was a good opportunity and it was clear from the beginning that Ken had some good ideas and energy regarding how the partnership could work. It lit a fire in me and it’s exciting to be able to think about something new and different.

“Partnerships are sometimes things you put on paper and, then, it ends there, but we have spoken from the very start about how we are going to create a relationship that is deeper and more sustainable. It could easily be seen as a lovely gimmick – York College partnering with York College – but it’s going to be much more substantial than that, because that’s what we’re interested in doing.”

Students from Pennsylvania could be seen on Campus in York as early as this academic year.

Movement in the opposite direction might need to wait until 2025/26 when funding is secured, but it is an opportunity that Mr Merry is fully committed to realising.

He said: “From a partnership that came about based purely on the name of our two organisations, it was great to visit York College Pennsylvania and speak with colleagues there to see first-hand how enthusiastic the team were to bring this partnership to life. There were clear examples of how our curriculum offers align and we could immediately see the great opportunities for our students to benefit from the staff expertise and facilities that the other has.

“We have spoken extensively about how we could organise exchange programmes that will see our students go over to Pennsylvania and vice versa, so they can all benefit from the different cultural experiences. It is also exciting to see the potential for our students to visit the range of world-famous cities that are near to York, Pennsylvania, such as New York City, Washington DC, and Philadelphia.

“This would add to the richness of their visit and allow them to engage in cultural experiences that they would not otherwise get at home in York, North Yorkshire. We’d like to get staff members to connect too.

“That might happen virtually or by visiting each other, because we want to share good practice where we can.”

Initial ideas for student collaborations have included Performing Arts students acting out half of a play each with an all-English cast maybe being replaced by an all-American cast at the interval and UK Hospitality students learning more about US cuisine and serving it up in York College’s training restaurant The Cookery.

On the value he has already taken from the partnership’s formative weeks, Dr Burns added: “I’ve already got my staff together to talk about interesting ideas off the back of the discussions myself and Ken have had. We’ve been looking at out Student Support Services for learners with different challenges and we’ve actually implemented the wellness drop-ins that you do here because we thought they were a brilliant idea.

“Having that opportunity to speak to somebody who thinks differently and has gone through different experiences has really helped my staff think about how we could do things differently for the benefit of our own students. We’ve also spent a lot of time talking about the ideas of apprenticeships, which is somewhat novel in American education.

“We’d like to explore how we can tap into that. We talk about internships and co-ops, but I think apprenticeships are a different level and a really practical and invaluable experience.”

The Memorandum of Understanding also states that the agreement “should be mutually beneficial and promote the global opportunities for the communities of York (Pennsylvania or Yorkshire) that are available in the 21st century”.

Despite York in Pennsylvania having a population of 45,000 compared to its UK counterpart’s 203,000, Dr Burns added that he believed his students will feel comfortable in their Yorkshire surroundings during what would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of them.

“Our students come from around about a 90-mile range of the college, from cities as large as Washington DC and Baltimore to very rural areas,” he explained. “So, for some of them, coming to the UK is something they can’t even imagine and this is an opportunity that would expose them to a part of the world that they might never have seen in a way that’s approachable and manageable, because it’s an institution that is similar in size to the one they’d be coming from.

“They wouldn’t feel overwhelmed because it’s not a city that’s as overwhelming as New York City, for example, which is only three hours from us, but many of our students have never been and would find it intimidating. York in the UK is much bigger than York in Pennsylvania, but it’s still more approachable and manageable.”

Having never previously visited or, indeed, had any prior knowledge of York in the UK, Dr Burns is certain that his students will be just as enamoured by our city’s unique charms and its college as he has been.

“It’s fantastic here and I hope this will be the first of many trips,” he enthused. “The city is absolutely beautiful and very welcoming with so much history.

“The college is amazing too and the tour I had was really eye-opening in terms of the quality of the facilities, instruction and opportunity. There’s a depth of artistry, craftsmanship and knowledge that really comes across and there’s so much opportunity for the creative enterprises that I didn’t expect.”

To learn more about York College of Pennsylvania, please click here