IIE Leads IAPP Brazil Delegation

IIE will help educators from eighteen U.S. colleges and universities develop Brazil strategies

April 13, 2012—Leaders from the Institute of International Education will travel to Brazil from April 14 – 21 with a high-level delegation representing eighteen U.S. institutions to meet with potential partner campuses and learn about Brazilian higher education. The study tour is the culmination IIE’s year-long International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) for Brazil. This timely visit comes on the heels of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s trip to the United States last week, during which the White House and the State Department issued statements on the importance of educational cooperation between the U.S. and Brazil.

In addition, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Brazil on April 16 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.

IIE will lead the delegation of U.S. educators to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Campinas and Piracicaba to visit public and private higher education institutions and meet with officials from the Fulbright Commission and other international organizations, and with 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, the delegation will partake in several high-level policy events, including a U.S.-Brazil Partnerships Roundtable in São Paulo. This roundtable discussion will include representatives from a number of Brazilian higher education institutions from across the country, and will focus on the challenges and opportunities in expanding U.S.-Brazil educational relations.

IIE launched the International Academic Partnership Program in 2009 to help colleges to develop the partnership aspects of their strategic plans for internationalization, and IIE has led delegations to China and India in the past few years. Recent research and reports issued by IIE’s Center for International Partnerships in Higher Education have highlighted the increasing importance of strategic international partnerships to building the capacity of the institutions and providing a global environment for students and faculty.

The participating U.S. campuses are: Baruch College, CUNY; Brandeis University; Brookdale Community College; Chatham University; California State University, Fullerton; Daemen College; East Tennessee State University; Illinois State University; Monroe Community College; Monterey Institute of International Studies; Queens College, CUNY; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Stevens Institute of Technology; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; University of South Florida; University of Toledo; and Washington State University.

“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 at IIE believe our two countries should seek much stronger cooperation in higher education as well,” said IIE President and CEO Allan E. Goodman.

IIE is partnering with the Government of Brazil on the new Science Without Borders program, which seeks to send 100,000 students overseas for science education and training, including 20,000 to the United States. IIE has been working closely with CAPES and CNPq to place the undergraduate scholarship students at U.S. universities.

Institute of International Education

The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of over 20 offices worldwide and over 1,000 member institutions. IIE designs and implements programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.

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