Mexico may soon join the list of countries with educational institutions that SVSU has partnerships with.

Last week, a delegation of administrators, faculty and students from SVSU visited the University of Guanajuanto in Guanajuanto, Mexico.

“The university is trying to push greater internationalization and offering greater, varied opportunities for our students,” said Brian Thomas, acting director of strategic partnerships and associate professor of sociology. “We want to diversify the student experience, both for students coming to SVSU from other countries and for our students going abroad.”

Courtesy photo | Taylor Johnston

Exercise science students Taylor Johnston and Jessica Ostrander pose with students from the University of Guanajuanto. Johnston and Ostrander traveled to Guanajuanto, Mexico with SVSU faculty and staff members.

Exercise science senior Taylor Johnston was one of the student delegates on the trip.

“The university is absolutely beautiful,” Johnston said. “They seem to be very accepting of new international opportunities and welcomed us with open arms.”

Ideas for possible programs included short-term student exchange programs, short-term faculty exchange programs and sharing pedagogies (teaching methods).

According to SVSU’s website, the university has partnerships with schools all over the world, in countries such as Japan, Korea, China, India, France and more.

The partnership with the University of Guanajuanto would initially focus on the health sciences, with possible projects in education, sociology and business in the future.

Thomas said traveling to Mexico may be an attractive option for many students wishing to study abroad.

“We are trying to build opportunities that are more geographically viable for students,” Thomas said. “The time on a plane when traveling to Asia can be daunting.”

Johnston is optimistic about the opportunities this international connection offers.

“Making a connection with the University of Guanajuato and their faculty and students will help open opportunities for our students and faculty to gain experience internationally,” she said. “We are trying to make it more affordable to send students abroad to engage in research.”

Other attendees on the trip included Marc Peretz, associate provost for international and advanced studies; David Callejo Perez, associate provost; Josh Ode, assistant dean of health and human services and associate kinesiology professor; management professor Danilo Sirias; teacher education professor Dottie Millar; and exercise science senior Jessica Ostrander.

Thomas said gaining international exposure is important for both students and faculty.

“Most jobs have an international dimension and require working with diverse populations,” he said. “Understanding that this is a very interconnected world is necessary for competent citizens in modern society.”

“Our hope is that this trip allows us to narrow opportunities into programs, and figure out the structure to develop ongoing projects,” Thomas said. “We are trying to develop collaborative, international research partnerships that involve both faculty and undergraduates.”