ASU chosen for Brazil initiative

Arizona State University has been chosen for the 2013 Brazil initiative of the Institute of International Education’s International Academic Partnership Program.

Participating universities and colleges will engage in a year-long series of training activities to help each institution implement and sustain academic partnerships with institutions in Brazil. The year will culminate with a study tour to Brazil in spring 2013 to meet with potential partner campuses.

"ASU's participation in the Brazil program represents another important step in our efforts to expand this university's level of global engagement," said Denis Simon, Vice-Provost for International Strategic Initiatives. "It also stands out as an example of ASU's commitment to have a strategic presence in Latin America."

Representatives from ASU schools and colleges will take part in an on-campus strategic planning process during this academic year to prepare to form partnerships with institutions in Brazil through the Institute of International Education’s Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education. ASU will have a chance to match up with Brazilian universities that share similar interests in terms of both student and faculty interests.

“At a time when Brazil’s economy is expanding rapidly, and Brazil and the United States are forging unprecedented ties in trade, energy and scientific development, we look to higher education as another area where our two countries should seek much stronger cooperation,” said Allan E. Goodman, Institute of International Education president and chief executive officer.

The Institute of International Education Partnership programs offer timely resources for universities in both countries to explore areas of academic cooperation, including exchanging students and scholars and collaborating on research projects and degree programs. Currently, there are 35 students from Brazil studying at ASU.

Earlier this year, the White House and the State Department issued statements on the importance of educational cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil during Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s visit to the United States, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Brazil to explore further ways to expand U.S.-Brazil bilateral cooperation in regional and global issues, as part of an ongoing dialogue at a ministerial level on economic, educational and diplomatic issues.

Brazil has become increasingly important to U.S. higher education with the creation of the Brazil Science Mobility Program (BSMP) by the Brazilian government a year ago. This multiyear initiative will send 75,000 fully funded Brazilian students abroad for training in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, with an additional 25,000 scholarships to be funded by the private sector.

Earlier this year, the Institute of International Education announced its selection of ASU to participate in the 2013 India initiative of the International Academic Partnership Program.