Southfield, Mich. – Lawrence Technological University has signed an agreement to facilitate cooperation on academic programs and faculty and student exchanges with the University of Bahrain located in an island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

Lawrence Tech President Lewis N. Walker signed a memorandum of understanding with his counterpart, Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed Janahi, during a trip to Bahrain last week by nine Lawrence Tech administrators and faculty members. Initial talks were held on a number of topics.

The University of Bahrain is a public institution with 15,000 students in colleges of business and administration, information technology, engineering, education, science, applied science, arts and law.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain is among the most progressive countries in the Arab world, and its university has a first-rate faculty and modern facilities,” Walker said. “The University of Bahrain will be an excellent partner in the exchange of knowledge. We are confident our faculty and students will reap great benefits from this cooperative agreement.”

Lawrence Tech already has international academic agreements with universities in Egypt, Jordan, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Germany, China, Taiwan, India and Canada. Students from several of these universities have come to the United States to study for bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Lawrence Tech.

“As we build Lawrence Tech’s reputation and partnerships overseas, it strengthens our value to the businesses and industries we serve right here in Michigan and the Great Lakes region,” Walker said. “Thriving in the global economy is largely a process of building strong relationships. Assuring that the next generation of overseas leaders will have local ties aids such developments. They become ambassadors for this region.”

Lawrence Technological University, ltu.edu, offers over 80 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Management. Founded in 1932, the 4,500-student, private university pioneered evening classes 75 years ago, and today has a growing number of weekend and online programs. Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus is in Southfield, with education centers in Lansing, Livonia, Clinton Township, Traverse City and Petoskey. Lawrence Tech also offers programs with partner universities in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.