CWRU and Fisk University, a historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tenn., are teaming up in one of the most distinctive collaborations in the country.

The universities have signed a formal, five-year agreement to partner in a variety of academic pursuits, including student and faculty exchanges, dual-degree programs and joint research projects. Semester-long student exchanges could begin as soon as January.

This extensive partnership is the first collaboration of its kind for CWRU and Fisk-and may be one of the first like it in the nation, according to Lynn Singer, CWRU's deputy provost and vice president for academic programs.

"This agreement breaks new ground in its potential and broadens the opportunities for all students and faculty," Singer said. "The partnership could set the national standard for future collaborations."

Some schools and colleges at CWRU already have dual-degree programs with other universities. The Case School of Engineering, for example, has an undergraduate binary program with several liberal arts institutions nationwide. Students study for three years at one of the liberal arts colleges, then spend two years in engineering at CWRU and earn two bachelor's degrees.

Fisk also has a few joint programs with other universities, mostly in the Nashville area, but the all-embracing potential of this new partnership makes it unique, according to Singer.

The home of the world-renowned Jubilee Singers and a prestigious collection of modern American and European art, Fisk enrolls about 800 undergraduates and nearly 100 graduate students. The university also is known for its strengths in African-American history.

More than 90 percent of Fisk students are African-American, while almost 75 percent of CWRU's nearly 10,000 students are caucasian.

"All of this is our way of trying to say universities and colleges of perhaps disparate size and makeup and mission have an opportunity to come together and offer students some extraordinary opportunities," said Carolynn Reid-Wallace, Fisk president.

The collaboration could help improve the diversity of CWRU's student and faculty base. An estimated one of every five African-American professionals is a Fisk graduate, according to Singer.

"Students today have to choose between historically black colleges and research universities," Singer said. "With this agreement, they may not have to make that choice. This partnership will enhance and diversify both universities' student base as well as their faculty and program offerings."

CWRU and Fisk have the option to renew the relationship after the formal agreement expires in August 2007.

For information on student exchanges with Fisk, contact Margaret Robinson in Undergraduate Studies. To learn more about faculty exchanges, contact the provost's office.