A Bachelor of Science degree in Game Design; Master of Science degree in Digital Forensic and Information Security have been identified as possible areas of collaboration between Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria and Champlain College, Burlington, Vermont, United States.

The Deputy Public Affairs Officer of the United States Consulate in Lagos, Jennifer Foltz, made this known during a recent courtesy visit to Covenant. Foltz said the intended partnership would be fashioned in a manner that would confer benefits to Covenant University's students.

Foltz believed that when the two institutions fashion out the framework for the partnership, postgraduate students in Covenant may pursue a Graduate Certificate from Champlain as a portion of their graduate work.

Foltz, who came in company with the United States Consulate Exchange Program Coordinator, Clemson Ayegbusi, said that Covenant University students might wish to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Game Design at the undergraduate level. Such students, according to her, would advance the first two years of coursework by taking courses that prepare them for the final two years of Game Design courses to be offered by Champlain College. "After four years of study, the student would be qualified to receive a B.Sc degree from both Covenant and Champlain," she added.

While noting the need to work within the gambit of the laws governing tertiary education in Nigeria, Foltz said that Champlain College would be open to discussing various ways for Covenant to license Champlain's content or learning experiences coursework would carry Covenant University's course numbers. "In this case, Covenant would award a B.Sc degree in Game Design by using Champlain's Content," she posited.

The Deputy Public Affairs Officer appreciated many years of partnership between the United States Consulate Exchange Program and Covenant in hosting Fulbright Scholars and making their engagement in Nigeria a memorable one.

The United States Consulate Exchange Program Coordinator, Ayegbusi, said he was impressed with Covenant's leadership and governance structure, which gave rise to quality Fulbright students from the University to institutions in the United States. According to him, "We are looking forward to a robust collaboration with the US Consulate," he enthused.

Ayegbusi, while identifying the National Universities Commission's regulatory oversight functions as a likely impediment in speedily advancing the relationship with Champlain College, noted that Covenant University's system was perfectly suitable for the initiative, which in itself would drive and increase revenue for Covenant.

In his response, the Director, Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID), Professor Emeka Iweala, said he hoped that the intended frontiers of the partnership would expand to include joint research between faculty and students of both institutions.

Professor Iweala said that the collaboration was a welcome idea, and it was important that the initiative tapped into the inherent capabilities of researchers of Covenant. He suggested international research collaboration to widen the scope of existing studies and cross-fertilize ideas to birthing new things that were important to humanity.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, said Covenant University was bound to abide by every law of the land but would remain committed to her disruptive philosophy towards attaining her short and long-term visions.

Professor Adebayo said ideas like the proposal from Champlain College were one that Covenant University was willing to embrace once they iron out all the key concerns. "While we are mindful of the kind of partnership we go into, we are excited and open to this collaboration. We take into cognizance that Champlain College, just like Covenant, is a mission-based university, and we are going to have a robust relationship as we advance," he enthused.

Also present at the meeting were the Registrar, Dr Oluwasegun Omidiora; Director, Financial Services, Pastor Babatunde Onatola; Director, International Office and Linkages, Dr Ada Sonia Peter; and the Director, Vice Chancellor's Office, Dr Omotayo Osibanjo.