Lyn Isaacson, associate dean for global education at Central College, will travel to Brazil from May 5-10 with a high-level delegation from 14 other U.S. institutions to meet with potential partner campuses and learn about Brazilian higher education.
The study tour is the centerpiece of the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) year-long International Academic Partnership Program focusing on Brazil.
“By meeting with representatives from a variety of institutional types, we hope to identify potential partners that would be a good match if Central were to establish a semester study abroad program in Brazil,” says Isaacson. “Central also hopes to attract Brazilian students to its Pella campus for an American year, and to do so we will need to establish good working relationships with a number of institutions. What we learn from this trip will guide our next steps.”
Isaacson will travel to São Paulo, Campinas, Recife, Salvador and Brasília to visit public and private higher education institutions and meet with officials from the Fulbright Commission and other international organizations, as well as Brazil’s Ministry of Education, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). In addition, she will partake in several high-level policy events, including a U.S.-Brazil Partnerships Roundtable in São Paulo. This roundtable discussion will include representatives of Brazilian higher education institutions from across the country and will focus on the challenges and opportunities in expanding U.S.-Brazil educational relations.
As associate dean for global education, Isaacson is a member of a steering committee at Central working on the Brazil initiative. Other members include Mary Strey, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty; Carol Williamson, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission; James Shriver, associate dean for curriculum and faculty development; Dennis Doyle, professor of communication; Shawn Wick, assistant professor of sociology; and Jessica Klyn de Novelo, director of institutional relations for Central College Abroad.
The other U.S. campuses that will take part in the IIE delegation to Brazil in May are: Arizona State University, Ball State University, California State University – Long Beach, Fort Hays State University, Howard University, Indian Hills Community College, Morgan State University, Parsons – The New School for Design, Savannah State University, SUNY Plattsburgh, The University of Tulsa, Washington and Jefferson College, Webster University and Western Michigan University.
“At a time when Brazil is emerging as a cultural and economic powerhouse in the region, and the United States looks to forging unprecedented ties in trade and scientific development, we at IIE believe the two countries should develop strong partnerships in higher education as well,” said IIE President and CEO Allan E. Goodman.
IIE launched the International Academic Partnership Program in 2009 to help U.S. colleges and universities develop strategic plans for partnering with certain focus countries. Its partnership program will further advance the international student exchanges with the region that are the centerpiece of President Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas,” an initiative launched in 2011 to increase international study in Latin America and the Caribbean, and whose purpose is to “foster region-wide prosperity through greater international exchange of students, who are our future leaders and innovators.” The initiative aims to build closer people-to-people ties among the people of the Western Hemisphere and to help address common challenges including citizen security, economic opportunity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.
