TRU signs MOU's with delegation from Mexican universities

Photo: TRU

(L-R) Orfelinda Torres Rivera, Deputy Minister of Education for Queretaro and Paulo de Arondo Saenz, Rector del Centro de estudios superiores del Bajio Campus, Queretaro.

Multiple memorandums of understanding were signed between Thompson Rivers University and delegates from the state of Querétaro, Mexico in Kamloops on Wednesday.

The delegation, led by Querétaro's deputy minister of education, met with Brett Fairbairn, TRU president, along with other key faculty and staff members to learn about the university’s programs and services.

The delegation from Querétaro is embarking on a tour of several B.C. colleges and universities.

Baihua Chadwick, TRU's vice-president international, met with 11 delegates. The group included representatives from the Querétaro Universities Consortium, university presidents, representatives from the state’s international departments and Canada's federal trade commissioner from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City.

“As we reflect and celebrate 40 years of international excellence and innovation at TRU, we look toward the future inspired by these collaborative relationships as an important milestone in the vision of internationalization at TRU,” Chadwick said.

"The initiative allows for greater collaboration with the Querétaro Universities Consortium to create more opportunities for TRU students, faculty and staff, including academic partnerships, short-term intensive programs, visiting students, joint research and student exchanges."

José Carlos Arredondo Vázquez, rector of the Technological University of Querétaro, said Querétaro is one of four Mexican states that are considered "the heart of the country" for the aeronautic, automobile manufacturing, data science and logistics industries.

“We want to strengthen our links with Canada in terms of education. It's beneficiary for both countries to convert our students into global citizens and to welcome them into our cultures, bringing them rich experiences that will cultivate their skills both academically and professionally," Vázquez said.

The initiative comes off the heels of the BC Council for International Education’s delegation to Mexico, in which one of the outcomes was a memorandum of understanding signed between a consortium of six universities from Querétaro state.

Last June, the B.C. government also signed two MOU's with the states of Jalisco and Guanajuato.

“Being part of a broader collaborative effort is a great honour and empowers innovative progress," Chadwick said.

"We appreciate BCCIE and the federal Government of Canada in their efforts to support international collaborations by bringing this important delegation to TRU."