|
Introduction International Programs and Exchange Programs are an essential part of higher education at the
National University of Agriculture
(UNA). This includes sending students and faculty members
abroad, receiving foreign students and faculty members, exchanging
information across borders,
establishing programs with international counterparts, among others. UNA has over 20
international
cooperative agreements with other universities and institutions, through which many
of these activities are initiated.
|
|
UNA Students
and Faculty Members Abroad Since the study of the English language became a priority for students and faculty at UNA, an
increasing
number of students and faculty have opted to participate in an exchange program either
in the US or where the English language is a
requirement. There has also been a dramatic
increase in the number of students who study abroad in Spanish speaking countries. Here are
some of the ways our students and faculty gain international experience:
• Global Undergraduate Exchange Program
This program
is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and provides one semester and
academic year scholarships to outstanding undergraduate
students from underrepresented sectos.
One of our students was selected for this prestigious scholarship and spent the 2010-2011
academic
year at Humboldt State University taking intensice English language classes for the first
semester and classes related to his major
in Natural Resources and Environmental Management
the second semester. Students selected from this program must have an excellent academic
record,
finalcial need, little or no experience abroad and a high level of English.
• Study of United States Institutes for
Student Leaders
This program is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and consists of five to six week
academic programs for
foreign undergraduate leaders. Each year different programs are available
to different countries that include an intensive academic
component, an educational tour of the US,
local community service activities and unique opportunities for participants to get to know
their
American peers. In 2009, two of the three participants selected from Honduras for a full scholarship
for the Study of United States
Institutes on water and natural resources at Oregon State University
(OSU) were UNA students. They spent five weeks at OSU and
the final 6th week touring
Washington, DC.
• Junior Student International Trip
Every October, junior UNA students take an international
educational field trip. Over the last decade,
students have chosen the United States as their destination. This week long
trip is organized in part
by the Office of External Cooperation and host universities. Students finance their own trip with
personal
savings, class fundraisers and donations. In the past few years, students have visited
North Carolina State University, the University
of Florida and Florida International University. This
year, 105 students went to five different locations in the United States
to learn about new
technologies, research and extension related to their majors of study. The host universities this
year were
North Carolina State University, the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University,
Auburn University, the University of Florida
and Florida International University. For many students,
this is the first time they have gone abroad and it opens up their mind
to whole new world of
possibilities. It’s a great opportunity for the students to put their new English skills to use, interact
with
students, professors and other people from a variety of countries, see Honduras from a
distance and reflect upon ways to improve education
related to their studies and enhance the
development of the country, promote a good image of UNA and Honduras abroad, motivate students
to
continue their studies through international exchanges and masters programs, and strengthen the
institutional relationships with US
universities.
• Professional Supervised Internships Abroad
All undergraduate students at UNA must write a thesis and defend
it as a graduation requirement.
Their dissertation research is done during their professional supervised internships, which may be
done
on or off of campus during the second trimester of the student’s senior year at UNA (May-
August). The students start the planning
of their research in February through a required Pre-
Thesis Research Methods Course. By the end of the course (in May), they
produce a document with
a literature review of the area in which they will research as well as a research design plan. When
students
return from their internships in their third trimester (in September), the students focus on
writing their thesis, defending it and
finishing up their remaining coursework.
In 2011, a record number of 37 students opted to do their professional Supervised Internships
abroad. The Office of External Cooperation, professors and students made contacts abroad and
followed up with all of the paperwork necessary
to make this happen. Eleven students went to the
United States doing research at Purdue University, Oregon State University,
North Carolina State
University, University of Georgia Griffin Campus, Fort Valley State University, the Range Cattle
Research and Education
Center from the University of Florida and Florida International University.
Twelve students decided to go to Colombia to conduct research
at the Universidad Nacional de
Colombia, Palmira branch and CENICAFE. Two students went to Peru to work at Productos
Agroindustriales,
S.A. Ten students did their research in Mexico at ECOSUR and two students
crossed the Atlantic Ocean to do their research in
Spain at the Universidad de Granada.
• Short Term Faculty trips
Faculty Members often go abroad for short term trips to strengthen
relationships abroad and
discuss new opportunities and project ideas. In the last few years, faculty members have visited various
universities and institutions in the U.S., Spain, Taiwan, Mexico, Central America and South America. There are also many scholarships
available for faculty members to continue their
education abroad or participate in research programs at other universities.
•E-teacher scholarships
Through the U.S. State Department, a number of E-teacher scholarships are offered to Honduran
English teachers
at UNA. One of our Honduran English teachers successfully completed a distance
E-course in “Shaping the Way We Teach English,”
hosted by University of Oregon.
|
|
Receiving Foreign Students and Faculty Members at UNA
• Trimester at UNA
UNA welcomes students
from abroad who wish to study on our campus for an academic trimester.
We currently have students from the Universidad Nacional
de Colombia, Palmira Branch. In the
past, we have also received students from the Universidad Nacional Agraria in Nicaragua. This
offersstudents studying agricultural related majors in other universities a variety of courses to
choose from with a practical field work
focus. This option also allows foreign students to
experience new cultures and educational systems.
• Student Internships
at UNA
We have had interns in the past that have worked on a variety of projects including a biological
education program, Field Schools
Program, teaching English classes and conducting English Club
events. In 2010, we had undergraduate student interns from Stanford
University, Texas State
University and Temple University.
• Four year International Students at UNA
Beginning in January of 2012,
UNA opens its doors for the first time to international students from
Guinea Equatorial in Africa and countries in Central America.
• Peace Corps Volunteers
UNA recently hosted two Peace Corps Volunteers in the area of Natural Resources and Biological
Education. This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers to interact with UNA students, faculty and
community members while they bring new ideas
energy to the campus.
• Group visits from foreign universities
We occasionally receive student groups from abroad who come as
part of a course or special
scholarship program. This year, we were fortunate to receive a group of students from NCSU and
other
universities in North Carolina to tour our university, learn about academic student life, visit
our agroecology farm and establish
community outreach programs. Next year, we are planning to
host a group of students from Ferrum College in Virginia interested
in learning about the
importance of quality education systems in developing countries. The students from Ferrum are
planning to tourthe campus and get a first hand impression of UNA academic life by shadowing
our students for a day.
• English Language Fellows
& Fulbright Specialists
The U.S. State Department has provided us with constant support of our current English program
since its
creation in 2009. We received support from a Fulbright Senior Specialist for four weeks in
May of 2009 to help design, select
materials and write curriculum for our English Program. Later,
in October of 2010, we received an English Language Fellow and
her husband who have been
helping us out by teaching a variety of English courses to students, faculty and local teachers in Catacamas.We were pleased to find out that our English Language Fellow decided to extend her
10 month stay for another year and will be with
us until June of 2012.
• Visiting Professors
We have received a variety of visiting professors from the US and Central America. From
2007-
2010, we received a visiting adjunct professor in the area of Natural Resources from North Carolina State University. In
2010, we had two professors from the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria in Nicargua who gave specialized courses in the area of Food
Science and Technology. We currently
have two professors from the Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala working in the area
of
Veterinary Medicine. We are looking forward to receiving more visiting professors in the near future!
|
|
Information Exchange There
are many types of information exchange. Through UNA’s webpage, people around the world
can access the information broadcasted
on our university radio station. Faculty members also take
advantage of institutional contacts made through our cooperative agreements
to exchange
information such as course materials, research, documentation, trainings, etc. For example, one of
the UNA English teachers
is currently doing an e-pal project in one of her classes with students
from Valley City State University in North Dakota.
|
|
Graduate
Programs Abroad A few years ago, UNA and the University of Granada designed a joint Master’s Program in Soil
Science. All of the
classes were taught at UNA by Honduran and Spanish professors. In January of
2009, a group of professors from UNA traveled to the Universidad
Nacional de Ingenieria (UNI) to
take Master’s level courses in Food Processing. In January of 2012, a group of professors from
UNI
will travel to UNA every 15 days to teach a second round of this Master’s course. The goal of this
joint program is to raise
the educational levels of all of the Food Science and Technology professors
to at least a Master’s degree.
|
|
CSUCA (Consejo Superior
Universitario Centroamericano) Since 2007, UNA has been a member of the CSUCA (Central American Council of Higher Education).
Through
the CSUCA, UNA has incorporated many new international programs and events. UNA has
been a host for the Central American Student
Congress twice since 2008. In November of 2008,
UNA also hosted the Ordinary Session of the CSUCA, where all of the university
rectors who form
part of the CSUCA were present. Finally, also through the CSUCA, UNA is implementing a Central American Integration
Program, where UNA will accept three students with financial need from each Central American country.
|
|
Contact For more information
about our international exchange programs, please contact the Office of
External Cooperation.
|