The University of Nebraska has signed an agreement with a Turkish university that could lead to more faculty partnerships and student exchanges.

The agreement with Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey will focus on food security, water management, education, public health and other issues. Leaders from both universities expect to share their resources for mutually beneficial projects.

The relationship between the two universities dates to 1957, when the University of Nebraska offered to help the Turkish government create Ataturk, the country’s first American-style land-grant university.