ԹϱWorld News

Թϱcelebrates 31 years of partnership with Universidad del Norte in Colombia

2 female world languages professors from UniNorte in Colombia and Թϱpose in front of the iconic Թϱbull with a male and female representative from ԹϱWorld

Left to right: Dr. Heike Scharm- ԹϱWorld Languages, Lourdes Rey- Dean of the UniNorte Language Institute, Sean Gilmore- Assistant Vice President, Global Partnerships & International Student Enrollment at ԹϱWorld, Adriana Morales- Global Partnerships Administrator at ԹϱWorld.

TAMPA, FL (May 5, 2024) -- This year marks the 31st anniversary of the Թϱ’s academic partnership with the Universidad del Norte (UniNorte) in Barranquilla, Colombia. Barranquilla is Tampa’s oldest sister city, dating back to 1966. Both cities have worked together on projects related to civic engagement, art, culture, and education.

What began as a collaboration between engineering faculty from both institutions has expanded into a robust, multidisciplinary partnership. “The relationship between Թϱand UniNorte is very special,” says Adriana Morales, USF’s Global Partnerships Administrator. “More than 400 undergraduate students from UniNorte have participated in the academic transfer programs across 11 academic programs and have gone on to graduate from USF.” Both UniNorte and Թϱare entrepreneurial and innovative institutions – with a shared a commitment to student success and faculty excellence. According to ԹϱWorld Vice President, Kiki Caruson, “students and faculty from both universities have benefitted from mobility across borders. Faculty from UniNorte have been professionally trained at Թϱand faculty from Թϱhave benefitted from language programs hosted by UniNorte as well as virtual exchange collaborations that allow Թϱand UniNorte students and faculty to connect in meaningful ways without travel.” 

Currently, the partnership comprises 12 Academic Transfer Agreements involving 11 undergraduate programs from the Colleges of Engineering, Business and Arts and Sciences. These agreements have allowed UniNorte students to obtain a degree from USF, while many students from Թϱhave visited UniNorte through short-term, semester exchange, faculty-led programs, clinical rotations, and language immersion programs. Graduates now work at companies such as Cummins Inc, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Intel Corporation, and Dell Technologies. While the majority return to work in Colombia, 240 work in the United States and in 119 other countries including Australia, Spain, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Chile, Venezuela, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The partnership allows for opportunities for faculty members as well. In addition to ԹϱPhDs who have gone on to work at UniNorte, Թϱfaculty members and administrators have traveled to UniNorte to attend their annual international conferences known as Catedras. These misions allow faculty and administrators from both institutions to explore new opportunities for cooperation, recruit for ongoing programs and collaborations, and follow up on established strategic goals.

female Colomb ian student at Թϱposing in front a map of the world with international currencies taped by their respective countries

There are currently 40 UniNorte students at USF, and around 46 are expected to start in the upcoming Fall to pursue degrees in the fields of Engineering, Psychology, International Studies, Political Science, and Business. Katherine Acuna, graduate assistant at USF World and a former UniNorte employee, interviewed one of them, Maria del Pilar Villacob Rodriguez majoring in International Studies and graduating this May.

Rodriguez said she chose the International Studies Program because she felt like it aligned with her personality and skills. “I've always been very interested in the political and cultural environment that surrounds me, and I’ve had a very deep curiosity for other countries. I feel like the International Studies Program encapsulates all of that. Coming to Թϱhas broadened my view of the world.” She emphasized the support she’s received in the program, “since the very beginning staff members and professors have been very close to us and have been very clear on the fact that they want to see us being successful both inside and outside of the classes.”

Gloria Coolman, a Թϱstudent who is currently doing a semester exchange at UniNorte is a double-major in Psychology and World Languages with a concentration in Spanish. “I’ve been able to improve my Spanish here so much just in the last three weeks. The people are amazing, the food is wonderful, and the campus is great!” she gushed in a recent video.

UniNorte also represents one of USF's top partners for our Global Classroom Initiative. In the 2022-2023 academic year, nearly 43% of Թϱstudents who participated in a Virtual Global Exchanges (VGE) were partnered with UniNorte students. Faculty from Թϱand UniNorte regularly combine forces to engage in VGE, allowing students to interact virtually, and work on collaborative projects. In addition to assisting students in meeting course learning objectives, these experiences provide students with opportunities for intercultural communication, technical skill building, and project management experience – all key career skills for the modern workforce and beyond.

a glasses-wearing Dr. Humberto Gomez from UniNorte in Colombia stading next to a globe of the world in a blue suit

Now the partnership is expanding. Recently, academic leadership, and a faculty member from UniNorte visited USF. Lourdes Rey, dean of the UniNorte Language Institute, met with faculty and representatives from USF’s College of Education and USF’s World Languages Department to discuss potential new collaboration for students at the graduate level. Meanwhile, Dr. Humberto Gomez, ԹϱPhD alumni and current Graduate Programs Director at UniNorte, met with representatives from ԹϱWorld, USF’s Office of Graduate Studies, and leadership from the College of Engineering to explore the development of new programs and strategies to enhance international recruitment.

Dr. Maria Gonzalez and Mr. Rene Sanchez posing for a picture outside at Թϱin Tampa, FL

Another recent visitor was ԹϱPhD alumni, Dr. Maria Gonzalez, Assistant Professor at UniNorte’s College of Law, Political Science, and International Relations. Dr. Gonzalez participated as a panelist in USF’s Global Symposium: Mapping Contemporary Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean sponsored by Institute for the Study of Latin America and the Caribbean (ISLAC).