Costa Rica News – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has reached an academic partnership agreement with the University of Costa Rica (UCR). The new five-year partnership with UCR, coupled with the current faculty-led travel study programs through Central American Mission Programs (CAMP), provide new opportunities for collaborative engagement in fields like pharmacy, dental medicine, nursing and public health, among others.
SIUE will collaborate with UCR in research, teaching, short-term travel study, student and faculty exchange, and clinical practice. This will allow SIUE to develop joint short-term student programs to Costa Rica, where students benefit from cross-cultural, high impact experiences.
“Development of international partnerships allows SIUE to enhance teaching, research and student learning opportunities to shape a changing world,” said Mary Weishaar, SIUE executive director of international affairs. “The partnership with UCR, coupled with our partnership with CAMP, will allow us to create new learning experiences for our students.”
In the future, the SIU School of Dental Medicine is interested in providing clinical practice experience for students in Costa Rica. The Schools of Nursing and Engineering are also exploring opportunities to get involved.
Including a trip two months ago, SIUE School of Pharmacy faculty have led travel study programs to Costa Rica every other year during spring break for several years to study medicinal plants and tropical diseases. UCR faculty assisted by providing lectures and tours through their labs. In addition, a faculty member from UCR traveled to SIUE to participate in a short-term research visit. Marcelo Nieto, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the School of Pharmacy, was key in the development of the partnership with UCR.
SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook forged the partnership with CAMP and facilitated development of the 2018 travel study programs to Costa Rica in nursing, public health and dental medicine. He has been involved with CAMP in Costa Rica for more than 14 years.
From The Telegraph
