FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas has signed a cooperative agreement with the University of Basrah in Basrah, Iraq. It is the fourth agreement the U of A has signed with an Iraqi university in the past year.

Similar to the previous memorandums of understanding, the agreement with the University of Basrah calls for the universities to create programs for the exchange of academic, research and other educational materials. It also encourages faculty members and students from each university to visit the other institution for the purpose of lecturing, conducting research or developing academic or administrative skills.

Thamer A. Hamdan, president of the University of Basrah, signed the agreement while visiting the U of A campus last week.

"It was an honor and a pleasure to be invited to this respected university," Hamdan said. "The laboratories and facilities here are amazing. I look forward to our students coming here to study, and I will encourage the Iraqi Minister of Education and representatives from other Iraqi universities to visit this campus."

The agreement stemmed from a program directed by the Graduate School and International Education aimed at growing the Iraqi student population at the U of A. The effort has been shepherded by Adnan Al-Rubaye, associate director of cell and molecular biology and instructor of biological sciences, and Gloria Flores Passmore, director of Sponsored Student Programs.

The University of Basrah, which was founded in 1964 and has an enrollment of 33,000 students, has been working toward an agreement with the U of A since late last fall.

A total of 34 Iraqi students were enrolled at the U of A in the spring 2015 semester. Another 14 were enrolled at the Spring International Language Center and will enroll at the U of A once they complete English proficiency requirements.

The U of A is currently working to form a cooperative agreement with the University of Koya in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The agreement signing is planned for June.