In summer 2024, Friedensau Adventist University and Babcock University (Nigeria) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of facilitating cooperation and exchange in various areas. With around 13,000 students, Babcock University is the largest Adventist university in the world. The cooperation was initiated by the School of Social Sciences, particularly in connection with the establishment of the Bachelor's degree program in International Social Work at Friedensau Adventist University.
From 3 to 9 March 2025, Dr Annette Witherspoon (Head of the B.A. International Social Work program) and Prof. Dr Thomas Spiegler (Dean of the School of Social Sciences) visited Babcock University to deepen the contact and prepare details for further cooperation. They held talks with representatives of the university management, met with the faculty of the Institute for Social Work, visited social work institutions in Lagos that could be potential internship placements for Friedensau B.A. students and gave guest lectures at Babcock University.
The visit was characterized by a collegial, friendly and open exchange. Colleagues from Babcock University are expected to visit Friedensau with a group of students in June 2025 to take part in lectures and workshops and to explore on excursions how social work is practized in Germany (ThSpiegler).
