AAU visits BSU
News
BSU hosts visitors from Ethiopia's premier university
Wednesday, 4 June, 2025As part of the University’s Global Academy of Liberal Arts (GALA) network, BSU recently welcomed a senior delegation of leaders from Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia.
AAU joined the GALA family in 2018 and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic BSU hosted visitors from AAU, and AAU hosted BSU staff and students for research trips.
In April AAU returned to Bath for the first time since the pandemic, with BSU warmly welcoming Professor Worash Getaneh, Vice President for Research and Innovation, Professor Abdurezak Mohammed, Vice President for Administration and Student Services, and Professor Matiwos Ensermu, Head of the Office of the President.
The visit was an important opportunity to reaffirm the universities’ relationship and to identify new collaborative possibilities.
To thoroughly explore the possibilities, during their visit the group met with representatives from across BSU, including Vice-Chancellor Professor Georgina Andrews, Pro-Vice-Chancellors Professor John Strachan and Professor Andy Salmon, and staff from the University’s Writing Publishing and Humanities School, Bath Business School, School of Education, Careers and Employability team, Research Support Office, Go Global team, Portfolio and Planning team, and also headed to The Studio to take a tour.
As part of their packed agenda, the visiting delegation were able to walk in the footsteps of an Ethiopian sovereign, both in touring Newton Park and heading to Fairfield House for a tour and dinner.
Fairfield House is renowned as the place where His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia lived in Bath while he was in exile, following the Italian invasion of his country in 1935. It is now home to Fairfield House Bath CIC, a not-for-profit organisation founded to protect and celebrate the Emperor's legacy and a long-standing partner of BSU.
When Emperor Selassie returned to the UK for a state visit in 1954 he visited Bath, during which he took a trip to Newton Park. In 2023 his great grand-daughter recreated that visit to BSU’s campus, and in October 2024 BSU, Fairfield House and Princess Esther came together once again to commemorate the Emperor in a tree planting ceremony at BSU.
Joining together members of this global network of creativity, and some of the University’s cultural partners, the visit strengthened the decade-long partnership between AAU and BSU as well as honouring Bath and Ethiopia's historic relationship.
Reflecting on the experience, Professor Worash Getaneh, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Addis Ababa University, said:
"Our visit to Bath Spa University contributed to the ongoing reform at Addis Ababa University in many ways. It gave us firsthand experience on how universities in the UK are organized and governed, and it renewed and revitalized our collaboration with Bath Spa University – which is part of our university's vision of internationalisation.
“We also got the chance to reconnect to a special chapter of our history and the long-term relationship between Ethiopia and the UK by visiting Fairfield House. We are deeply touched by and thankful for the hospitality of colleagues at Bath Spa University."
Speaking about AAU and BSU’s shared values and creative commitment, Professor John Strachan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at BSU, said:
"This visit renewed our decade-long partnership with Addis Ababa University, and reaffirmed our deep ties to Ethiopia and East Africa, which are anchored in shared values and a commitment to creative, global collaboration for the common good.
“Our discussions were rich and forward-looking, rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose; we explored exciting new opportunities for collaboration across research, knowledge exchange, and global engagements for staff and students."
Find out more about the Global Academy of Liberal Arts on BSU’s GALA webpage.