By Chris Kick
A longstanding relationship between Pennsylvania and the Baltic nation of Lithuania is expanding through a newly formalized partnership between Penn State’s Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The two universities recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining their shared commitment to exploring collaborative opportunities in research, teaching and education.
The agricultural partnership represents the latest chapter in a broader formalized relationship that dates to the early 1990s. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States established what would become the State Partnership Program, pairing state National Guards with foreign countries to share best practices and knowledge across a broad swath of areas. Pennsylvania was one of the first three states in the program, and as home to roughly 10% of all Lithuanians living in the United States, the state was paired with Lithuania in 1993.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding have built on that foundation in recent years, with a focused commitment to expanding the partnership into other critical areas, such as agriculture. In 2024, Redding led a Pennsylvania delegation to Lithuania.
Source : psu.edu