PHILADELPHIA – The presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and the National University of Singapore will sign an agreement next week that will eventually bring as many as 30 Singaporean undergraduates to study and work in Philadelphia each year.

Penn President Judith Rodin and NUS President Choon Fong Shih will endorse the agreement at a ceremony scheduled for 11:30 a.m., Monday, June 24.

"Knowledge knows no borders, and international cooperation of this kind is the mark of Penn's global reach," Rodin said. "We at Penn are proud to join with the National University of Singapore in a program that will greatly benefit both nations."

The agreement is part of an NUS initiative to prepare undergraduates for global technology and business careers through 12-month internships with companies in the U.S. In Philadelphia, the undergraduates will also enroll in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science, mirroring a similar partnership NUS established with Stanford University earlier this year.

"NUS and Penn share the same vision about the promotion of technology and of technology management," said Penn Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt. "This collaboration will further enhance those common objectives."

The "NUS College in Philadelphia" will be academically anchored in Penn's engineering school, with internships at companies in the Philadelphia area. The first cohort of 10 to 15 NUS students will arrive in Philadelphia in January; eventually, as many as 30 NUS students will be on campus as part-time students.

NUS students will be treated as regular exchange students on the Penn campus, including frequent interaction with Penn's highly selective and diverse undergraduate population. In the School of Engineering and Applied Science, they will study technology and entrepreneurship through courses specially designed for this group as well as regular Penn courses.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is open to the news media. Please contact Steve Bradt at 215-573-6604 for further details.