A Tijuana university that partners with Southwestern College in a study abroad program has won a competition in the Obama administration’s signature signature education initiative in the Western Hemisphere.
Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana announced Tuesday that it would receive $25,000 to fund grants for 30 students from its school and Southwestern College in the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund Award.
The goal of the White House initiative is to increase the number of U.S. students studying annually elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and the number of students from other Western Hemisphere countries studying in the United States to 100,000 annually by the year 2020.
The initiative is aimed at enhancing hemispheric competitiveness, increasing prosperity, and preparing a more globally competent workforce.
The scholarships will allow students from both schools to attend classes in one another’s schools and do bi-national internships.
Students also will be able to earn dual degrees by taking courses specific to the partner university without conflicting with the attendance to mandatory courses at their home university.
The competition is sponsored by Santander Bank and organized by the U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange.
The university was one of eight winners in the competition. The official announcement of winners will be at an event in Newport, Rhode Island at Salve Regina University, one of the eight grant winners.
The official celebration of the Study Abroad Program will take place in Tijuana, on Nov. 22 at Universidad Tecnológica de Tijuana.
