Written by Taylor Fourier
San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre signed a non-binding Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU), setting a foundation for an upcoming partnership between the university and the government of Mexico.
“This is a historic moment for our university,” SDSU President Adela de la Torre said. “We’ve long embraced our proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border as a unique opportunity for mutually beneficial collaboration and partnership. This agreement builds off that success and sets San Diego State on a course to become the premier binational university in the U.S.”
The memorandum is just one part of the many planning processes for SDSU’s five-year mission: “We Rise We Defy: Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives,” which strives to elevate the distinctive nature and community of the university. In an attempt to guide such a transformative mission, the plan involves five strategic priorities. Those are: Resilience. Designed to Thrive; Equity and Inclusion in Everything We Do; Students at Our Core; We Are SDSU; and Becoming a Premier Public Research University: A New Kind of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) of which embodies the agreement.
Though San Diego State has professors, individual colleges, and departments that work in Mexico, there had not been an official united collaboration, until now.
Under the guidance of the MOU, there will be various opportunities, such as extending collaborative online international learning, joint research and supervision, as well as strengthening institutional projects that need an intercultural, binational, and bilingual perspective.
With support from the university, the Secretariat of Public Education of Mexico, Public Education of Baja California, and even California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the MOU is embraced for its commitment to enhancing the binational relationship of educational systems while creating a community-engaged, border-connected, mutually beneficial partnership.
