The UA has joined forces with the University of Guadalajara in a collaborative agreement to address international issues facing the world.

The agreement focuses on the pulling of resources by both universities to deal with concerns such as the environment, international outreach, research and global climate. The institutions hope to achieve this by sharing information, as each university has something it can bring to the table, said UA President Robert Shelton.

“”This is what we should be doing,”” he said. “”We sign lots of agreements that say we’re going to be nice to each other, but this one really holds some major importance.””

Some particular programs of interest in the agreement include the UA’s Biosphere 2 and the Telemedicine Program, said Francisco Marmolejo, assistant vice president for the Office of Western Hemispheric Programs.

The UA is looking to assist the university in creating its own biosphere curriculum in exchange for Guadalajara’s expertise in global climate. This expertise was possible by the presence of nearby national forests, something the UA lacks, Marmolejo said.

Because the UA is one of the leading institutions in the world in providing telemedicine technology, an agreement is in the works for the UA to share telemedicine information so Guadalajara can develop a similar network, he added.

Graduate programs from both universities may also see advancements in the future.

The UA and Guadalajara are engaging in talks to possibly bring graduate programs to the UA from Guadalajara. The programs, in principle, would be fully funded by Guadalajara, Marmolejo said.

“”We can really complement each other in a positive way,”” he said. “”We need to do much more of this.””

The two institutions’ highly valued statuses make the agreement that much more innovative, Shelton said.

“”There is a quality that we bring that Guadalajara brings as well,”” he said.

The agreement is reflective of a shrinking world where institutions are becoming more and more global with international communication and cooperation, Marmolejo said.

“”Institutions with global outreach are no longer staying isolated,”” he said. “”This has an impact on the way we conduct global research and get in contact with other parts of the world.””

Problems resulting from complications of moving capital across international borders are also being solved by this collaboration, a prospect that could bring about easier cooperation with other institutions in the future, Shelton said.

“”This way, we can still have secure borders, but we can also continue facilitation through education and learning,”” he said.

The Guadalajara cooperation is not the only collaboration in development.

Shelton also signed an International Memorandum of Agreement with the National Pedagogical University of Mexico yesterday.

The collaboration most closely involves the UA College of Medicine and will focus on improving its programs in bilingual education, special education and educational leadership, Marmolejo said.

The agreement was brought on by the need for more knowledgeable educators in school systems within both the U.S. and Mexico, a plan that can be made possible by integrating more technology and ideals into schools, said Silvia Ortega-Salazar, president of the university.

“”We are failing in properly preparing those in the education field,”” she said. “”We have many similar interests, and we need to come up with new strategies and innovations.””