Shawn Patton, Program Manager of IIE’s Center for International Partnerships will be available at NAFSA to answer questions about the Mexico and Cuba partnership programs. Come visit the IIE booth #1212 on the exhibition floor or contact Shawn beforehand to setup a meeting.

The Mexico Partnership Program, a component within the larger IIE Mexico Higher Education Initiative, will explore the wealth of opportunities for academic partnership with higher education institutions in Mexico, while also confronting the challenges that have faced partnership building with the country in recent years. Participants of the program will also take part in an IIE-led delegation to Mexico City, Puebla, and Queretaro in September 2016 to meet with important stakeholders from universities, government, and organizations that deal with the Mexican higher education system.

As relations continue to improve between the US and Cuba, opportunities for increased academic partnership are growing. President Obama's historic visit to Cuba in March 2016 further signaled an easing of tensions between the two countries, which allows for greater international collaboration going forward. The Cuba Partnership Program will draw on IIE's relationship with key stakeholders in the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education and Cuban university system, experience leading high-level academic delegations, and expertise in international partnership building to provide expert guidance on U.S.-Cuba academic collaboration. The program will include a delegation to Cuba in October 2016.