Latin America Forum 2019

The Use of Networks in Higher Education

The 2019 Latin America Forum focused on how Latin America and the Caribbean continue to provide diverse opportunities for strategic and institutional engagement. Higher education leaders from throughout the region provided insights on developing effective and sustainable partnerships through collaborative networks.

Why does Latin America and the Caribbean matter? Why is it important to collaborate with this multidimensional region? Did you know that by 2050 Spanish will be the second most spoken language in the world? These were some of the questions posed by keynote speaker and NAFSA Senior Fellow, Francisco Marmolejo, to the over 200 participants attending the Forum. The demand for international education will continue to increase as the middle class continues to grow. While Latin America is full of opportunities, its major challenge continues to be inequality. From a social and economic development perspective, the promotion and expansion of a more inclusive higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean is vital.

The 2019 Latin America Forum also included a higher education panel discussion, where speakers shared their experiences working with networks and different models of collaboration in Latin America. In Peru for example, national-level reforms and partnerships with international organizations have strengthened the internationalization of higher education not only in its capital city Lima, but also in other parts of the country. Peru has also benefited from regional platforms such as the Pacific Alliance, which is creating opportunities for capacity building in Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. In Argentina, both national and regional networks are promoting international student mobility and building bridges with the United States and Europe.

Participants also had a unique networking opportunity during the country/region-specific breakout tables. Regardless of the type of collaboration, speakers emphasized that building trust and intercultural understanding are key to creating successful partnerships and efficient networks throughout the hemisphere.

To continue the conversation from the Forum, we encourage you to join the Latin America and Caribbean SIG, a member interest group created to raise the visibility and coverage of the Latin American and Caribbean area, and to promote and support international educational flows between Latin America and the rest of the world.