Bronx Community College and  Universidad de Iberoamerica Begin Collaboration with Online Signing of Statement of Shared Interest

October 15 — The global coronavirus pandemic has drastically curtailed opportunities for students to study abroad. But starting Friday, October 16, Bronx Community College and Universidad de Iberoamérica (UNIBE) in Costa Rica will join forces to offer an international virtual exchange experience for 15 students from each institution.

“Study abroad is a cornerstone of education at Bronx Community College,” says BCC President Thomas A. Isekenegbe. “So is science and technology. This partnership joins the two, so that even during a pandemic we can take BCC students to other countries and bring students from other countries to BCC.”

The focus of the six weeks of online classes will be the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health and wellness, equity in medical care and other health issues.  “What we will be looking at is how these areas are similar or different in the United States versus Costa Rica,” says Dr. Manny Lopez, BCC’s Associate Dean for Student Development. “While we can’t fly there and they can’t come here, we will get a lens into each other’s experiences.”

The partnership will officially begin at 3:00 p.m. on Friday with a live online signing of a Statement of Shared Interest by Dr. Isekenegbe and his counterpart at UNIBE, Dr. Emma Grace Hernández. The ceremony will include remarks by the two presidents, an overview of the program, videos from BCC and UNIBE and a question and answer period. The media are invited to attend by going to the ZOOM link, provided below.

The virtual exchange program is only the beginning of this intercontinental collaboration. Under discussion are further student and faculty exchanges, summer schools and joint conferences, workshops and research opportunities.

Meeting Link:    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84837438948?pwd=NTN5Vit1WW5Pd1duczh2dG5qdkk2Zz09
Meeting ID:       848 3743 8948
Passcode:          809514

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Meeting ID: 848 3743 8948

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