U.S. - Mexico: University Partnerships for Prosperity

Conference participants had the opportunity to learn more about another highly successful component of the U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) initiative, the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships (CASS) program, managed by Georgetown University and the Oportunidades program, created by the Human Development and Social Equality program of the Mexican government. Sandra O’Reilly described the CASS program in detail, which offers scholarships for disadvantaged Mexicans to study at community colleges in the United States. The program is designed to improve technical skills so that the scholarship recipients can better address common development problems in their communities upon return. Sandra Luz Cuadra García described how the Oportunidades program is also transforming lives by offering services to people residing in areas with the highest concentration of poverty and marginialization in Mexico. The Oportunidades program offers scholarships to students at the primary, secondary and junior high school levels, financial support for nutritious foods, and health education programs for families in need.

Friday, July 1 Luncheon

Continuing the conference theme of partnerships, Byron Battle of the United States Peace Corps and Luis Torreblanca Rivera with the Centro de Innovación Aplicada en Tecnologías Competitivas (CIATEC) described the partnership between their organizations, established in 2003 as part of the Partnership for Prosperity, which places Peace Corps technical advisors at Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) centers throughout Mexico. The program focuses on institutional strengthening of CONACyT to promote technology transfer to Mexico’s public and private sectors. Currently, twelve technical advisors recruited from professional associations, universities, and businesses in the United States are working in five CONACyT centers in central Mexico, providing assistance in the areas of environmental and water engineering, food science, ecology, chemical engineering and polymers, knowledge management, information technology, and business advising. In 2006, twenty new volunteers will begin service in four additional centers.

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