Thirty-one Argentine universities participated in the 75th Conference of the Association of International Educators (NAFSA 2023), which took place May 30th to June 2nd in Washington DC. NAFSA is the largest association devoted to education and international exchanges in the world, and every year it holds a Conference & Expo in different cities in the United States.
At our Argentine Booth, in this edition of the Conference & Expo universities showcased their educational opportunities -for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs- as well as their educational exchange options for students, academics, and researchers. This event also served as a meeting space for universities in the United States and the rest of the world to deepen existing ties and build new ones. Among specific examples, we can mention the advances made by the Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham and Vanderbilt University to implement research stays for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate/doctoral Engineering students and by the Universidad de Tres de Febrero and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), to add the latter to the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of the South.
Argentine universities also participated in a full schedule of activities organized by the embassy. Among them, on Wednesday, May 31st, a networking event took place with the Argentine scientific diaspora that resides in Washington DC and surrounding areas. The meeting enabled Argentine universities to explore opportunities for cooperation and/or research projects with institutions in the United States and Argentine knowledge professionals who work there.
Likewise, on Thursday, June 1st, our Embassy hosted, together with the Embassies of Brazil and Colombia, another networking meeting attended by more than 350 people, including representatives from universities in the U.S. and throughout the world, authorities from the Department of State, Department of Education, Fulbright Commission, and the US Embassy in Argentina.
This event was opened by Ambassador Jorge Arguello, who in his speech stated that education is the key to enjoy improved opportunities in life, and that cooperating with and committing to counterparts from other countries and their institutions is the best way to learn from one another and work together to improve the quality of higher education. In addition, he highlighted the importance of the coordinated efforts with the embassies of Brazil and Colombia to work together in this event.
In addition to the Chief of Mission, the State Department's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, Kristin Kane, and the State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs, Ethan Rosenzweig, also participated in the opening of the event. They highlighted the importance of working together to forge a closer cooperation in international education.
The participation of Argentine universities at these conferences, as well as the organization of a number of complementary activities, fosters the international positioning of Argentina as a student destination, chosen for the high educational quality of its prestigious universities and its varied range of academic offerings. By increasing educational exchanges between both countries, joint research and development opportunities are created. Educational exchanges also build bridges and help discover a common language that leads to a better understanding and economic prosperity in the region.
