California State University, San Bernardino is building on its strong history of fostering bi-national partnerships with educational institutions in Mexico by joining fellow California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) campuses in signing a letter of intent to deepen academic ties and expand opportunities for students and faculty.

On Monday, Aug. 11, CSUSB participated in a high-level discussion at the University of California San Diego’s Institute of the Americas Forum to explore new ways to strengthen educational relationships between institutions in California and Mexico. Representing CSUSB was Robert Nava, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the CSUSB Philanthropic Foundation.

The forum, part of the Mexico/California education conference in San Diego, was convened by Assemblymember David Alvarez (80th District). Participating campuses included Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Fresno, Cal State Dominguez Hills, San Diego State, Cal State San Bernardino, Chico State, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz and UC San Diego.

The signed letter of intent outlines three key steps:

  1. “To establish a High-Level Academic Dialogue to facilitate the alignment of educational strategies and the coordination of public policies regarding higher education and academic mobility.
  2. To launch and strengthen Dual Degree Programs and Student, Academic, and Professional Exchange Programs between higher education institutions in Mexico and California.
  3. To strengthen Technical Cooperation for the development of human talent, with a focus on training professionals in strategic sectors for both Mexico and California.”

“CSUSB is fully in line with the goal of promoting ‘a space for collaboration between universities in both regions with the aim of building a long-term binational educational agenda, aligned with the shared academic development interests of Mexico and California,’” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales. “We know that international exchange is a key tool in student success, and what better way to grow it than with our neighbor to the south?”

“I was incredibly honored to stand up for CSUSB at this forum,” Nava said. “I am glad to see the UC and CSU being more proactive in building these mutually important collaborations with Mexico.”

The next step in the process will be for each campus to designate a representative to help design a framework for collaboration and assess institutional capacities and priorities to advance the three goals outlined in the letter of intent.