Pictured from left are Manuel Rodriguez, Language Institute Acting Director; Professor Deirdre Bazan, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad JuárezDepartment of International Management; Dr. Ricardo Duarte Jaquez, UACJ President; Dr. Joseph Shepard, WNMU President; Dr. Beatriz Diaz Torres, UACJ Department of Allied Health; Dr. Daniel Constandse, UACJ Biomedical Sciences; and Professor Manuel Loera, UACJ Secretary of Academic Affairs.
Silver City – Several members of Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ)visited Western New Mexico University on Monday, March 17, to explore possibilities of creating partnerships for Mexican students to study at the main campus in Silver City.
A number of programs are of interest to Dr. Ricardo Duarte Jaquez, President of UACJ, who visited Silver City with five of his colleagues to meet with President Shepard and other members of leadership. Jaquez and his team toured the School of Nursing, which was of particular interest to the group who hail from a university that offers many similar programs in the health sciences field. UACJ is a public institution boasting over 26,000 students across four campuses.
“We were impressed with the people from Western New Mexico University and the dedication they show for their programs and students,” stated Dr. Jaquez. “There is the possibility of creating several relationships in programs such as nursing, education and with the Language Institute.”
After a daylong visit, four academic areas of interest were developed for potential partnerships including nursing, education, Chicano/a Hemispheric Studies and the Language Institute.
“This is a great opportunity for both of our schools’ students to take advantage of this new partnership,” explained Manuel Rodriguez, Director of the Language Institute, which offers semi-intensive and intensive language courses in several southwest New Mexico communities.
“UACJ is looking to possibly send their students for a summer or a short-term period during the academic year to experience intensive English language learning here in Silver City,” Rodriguez added. “They offer similar programs at their school but they realize the benefits of learning English in America.”
The visiting team listened to presentations from a number of programs in the health sciences. Dr. Sherry Bassi, professor of nursing, presented on a newly developed online program for professional nursing students which offers a fast-track graduate certificate.
“We believe that universities should exist in synergy,” said Dr. Jaquez. “Programs that we both offer should naturally create partnerships among our schools. It is the responsibility of us in the academic world to partner with each other.”
The same sentiment was recently echoed through a challenge by the New Mexico Secretary of Higher Education Dr. Jose Garcia who tasked the states’ universities to create bilateral partnerships.
“We look forward to this partnership and to creating stronger relationships with universities throughout Mexico,” said Rodriguez. WNMU officials expect to grow relations with Mexico and other universities in Latin America.
Western New Mexico University has served the people of the state of New Mexico and its surrounding areas as a comprehensive, regional, rural, public coeducational university since 1893 and serves a student body diverse in age, culture, language and ethnic background.