12:53 | Lima, Sep. 17 (ANDINA).
Peruvian Ambassador Harold Forsyth on Monday announced a cooperative agreement with UM’s College of Forestry and Conservation that will send American students to the woods and rivers of the South American nation and vice versa.
Forsyth made the announcement during the first panel discussion in Butte at the Montana Economic Development Summit.
The idea, said UM Dean Jim Burchfield, is for Montana students to cooperate on forestry-related research and education programs with students from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, the national agricultural university in Lima,
missoulian.com reported.
“It’ll typically be a faculty member from each university working together with Peruvian and University of Montana students who’ll work side by side on short-term assignments, probably for a month or two months,” Burchfield said.
Burchfield traveled to the Amazon region of Peru last January through a program with the U.S. Forest Service’s international program office in Washington. Peru has projects to look at forest governance and wildlife and protected area management opportunities.
“Since we do so much of that kind of work here at the College of Forestry and Conservation, they were asking for our technical assistance as far as faculty and student exchanges,” Burchfield said.
The universities’ partnership was forged last week when Forsyth and Burchfield connected on U.S. Sen. Max Baucus’ Ambassadors’ Tour stopped in Missoula.
Burchfield said his travels in Peru were eye-opening – and projects there would be “fantastic” for his students at UM.
UM president Royce Engstrom’s vision to engage students in global leadership was a critical factor in forging the partnership with the Peruvian university, the forestry school dean added.
(END) INT/LOG
Published: 9/17/2013