The following appeared in the March/April issue of International Educator magazine.
Around the world, virtually everyone knows that the United States has the largest economy in the world. But what some may not realize is that our southern neighbor, the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the second largest country (and has the second largest economy) in the Americas and is the fifth largest country in the world. In the last few years, Brazil has been on the radar as a growing country of interest for more international education exchanges and partnerships.
Our feature story, "Emerging Giant," by the late Alan Dessoff reveals how Brazil has become "hot" in higher education in recent years. Much of the recent interest in Brazil has been spurred by Brazil's Scientific Mobility Program (formerly known as Science Without Borders), an initiative that aims to send undergraduates in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines to spend a year at a top foreign university. Since the program was launched in January 2012, more than 4,000 Brazilian students have arrived in the United States under its auspices.
And the interest in Brazil seems to be growing. As recently as February 2013 the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program has expanded. Now, community colleges are getting involved. Led by Northern Virginia Community College, the Community College Consortium (CCC) is assisting the Brazilian Ministry of Education to expand the reach of its Scientific Mobility Program. The program will offer one-year undergraduate scholarships for Brazilian students to study STEM concentrations (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at U.S. community colleges.
Community colleges across the country are realizing that their local communities aren't just dealing with issues at the corner shop—global issues are now in their own backyards. International development—an area that colleges and universities have had a foothold in for decades—is now of interest to many community colleges. The feature article, "Local Goes Global," by Christopher Connell shows how community colleges are now getting involved in international development.
Preview the March/April 2013 issue of International Educator magazine.