BCCIE’s Executive Director, Dr. Randall Martin and ABRUEM President Prof. Aldo Nelson Bona signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between their respective organizations last week. The MOU was signed remotely on October 26 with the anticipation of a formal recognition ceremony in coming months – either at BCCIE’s Summer Conference in June 2017 or the FAUBAI Conference in April.

ABRUEM is a Brazilian association that represents the collective interests of 45 federal and state universities in many areas, including international affairs. BCCIE met with ABRUEM members this Fall as part of the coordinated Team BC Mission to Brazil.

The intended outcome of the MOU is to promote co-operation between BCCIE and ABRUEM. The two parties agree that it will be mutually beneficial to exchange expertise and best practices, to enhance cooperation in the frame of international education projects, and to promote academic mobility for faculty, staff and students.

“It has been our honour at BCCIE to host our friends from ABRUEM here in British Columbia, at our Summer Conference, and we have now also had the chance to engage in Brazil. The signing of this MOU signifies a relationship that creates yet another platform upon which BC institutions can better engage with Brazil to mutual benefit in support of faculty and student mobility and academic exchange. We look forward to concrete activities emerging from this relationship,” said Dr. Martin.