New Partnership Between SDSU and U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce To Promote International Cooperation

Joint-effort will facilitate international education opportunities for students on both sides of border

Contact:
Gina Speciale
SDSU Marketing & Communications
speciale@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO (Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008) — San Diego State University’s involvement in U.S. – Mexico relations has been strengthened by a new agreement with the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce. 

Paul Wong, Dean of SDSU's College of Arts and Letters and Al Zapanta, president and CEO of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce sign the agreement establishing an academic partnership. View Photo Gallery

The new partnership will establish a basis for cooperation between SDSU’s College of Arts & Letters, SDSU’s Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias and the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.  A memorandum of understanding was signed on December 6, 2007 in Mexico City during the Chamber’s annual bi-national meeting.

“This effort will further enhance the College of Arts & Letters’ programs in Mexico and our relationships with U.S. and Mexican corporations working on both sides of the border,” said Paul Wong, dean of the College of Arts & Letters.

The partnership is part of a broader effort to improve opportunity for international educational experiences for SDSU students.  SDSU is currently ranked second in the nation among high research universities for students studying abroad.

SDSU and the Chamber will develop programs to provide more access for students on both sides of the border.  SDSU will send more students to study and participate in internships with businesses in Mexico across several industries including international trade, tourism, investment and real estate development. 

“It’s not easy to generate resources to help students participate in international opportunities and this partnership will help us to do that,” said Paul Ganster, director of SDSU’s Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias and co-editor of the forthcoming book “Loreto,” which looks at redevelopment taking place in the traditional village on the Gulf of California.

“The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation look forward to our strategic alliance with SDSU,” said Albert C. Zapanta, president and CEO of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, which has more than 2,000 members.

The partnership will also seek to develop a bi-national management program for major industry corporations seeking qualified bilingual college graduates to become future managers in their US, Mexico and Latin American operations, Zapanta said.

SDSU’s Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias (IRSC)
Created in 1983, the Institute for Regional Studies of the Californias (IRSC) provides San Diego State University with a forum for the investigation, discussion, and dissemination of information about the United States-Mexican border region. The Institute focuses on the border region of California and Baja California and is also concerned with important issues of the United States-Mexican interface and monitors border regions elsewhere in the world.

SDSU’s College of Arts & Letters
One of SDSU’s seven academic colleges, the College of Arts & Letters offers programs in humanities and social sciences through 19 academic departments and a number of interdisciplinary programs.  It also encourages its students to become active citizens who participate in a multi-cultural world through the college’s many study abroad programs.

San Diego State University
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 73 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s  approximately 35,000 students participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.