The University of Western Ontario signed a cooperation agreement last week in Washington, D.C., joining the Organization of American States (OAS) Consortium of Universities.
Alfonso Quiñónez, OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, says the new agreement is in response to the mandate from the OAS member states to broaden the opportunities for students.
Western Vice-President (Research and International Relations) Ted Hewitt joins Alfonso Quiñónez, Organization of American States (OAS) Executive Secretary for Integral Development, as Western becomes part of the OAS Consortium of Universities.
Quiñónez highlighted the quality of the education programs and the international recognition of Western, at the same time underscoring the benefits the agreement will bring for the students participating in the scholarship programs and for the involved institutions.
He adds he would like to see such agreements expanded in Canada.
“We hope that the initiative taken by The University of Western Ontario is contagious to other institutions; that they see the positive impact we are making,” he says.
Western Vice-President (Research and International Relations) Ted Hewitt offered his support to the initiative. He says the agreement strengthens Western’s abilities to promote new educational opportunities for its students.
“This is a way of showing that we keep moving forward and that we can open the doors far more widely to students from the Americas,” he says.
The agreement seeks to strengthen education and human development in the framework of the OAS developed programs, and to explore initiatives and programs of common interest. Financial support by Western is also included for scholarship recipients selected through the OAS Scholarship Program to complete graduate or doctorate studies.
* story revised June 30