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Officials: Qatar, Mexico Programs Won't Overlap

Although both programs aim to bring UNC-Chapel Hill an increasingly global perspective, officials say the Monterrey program would not overlap with a proposed UNC-CH business school in the small Middle Eastern nation of Qatar.

Since the agreement for the Monterrey Tech program was signed in January 1999, the program's popularity has increased slowly. About 25 students from the 16 UNC-system campuses went to study abroad at one of Monterrey Tech's eight campuses last year, and about 25 Monterrey Tech students came to UNC-system schools, said Betsy Brown, UNC-system associate vice president for faculty support.

Students from Monterrey Tech and UNC-system schools can participate in semester-long or yearlong exchanges through a program designed by the systemwide UNC-Exchange Program.

Brown said 68 Mexican students are predicted to come to UNC-system schools this year as part of the program, while only 30 UNC-system students are expected to go to Monterrey Tech.

At a forum held Nov. 14 for students to raise questions about the school in Qatar, Chancellor James Moeser said that in the future, he hopes to see 250 UNC-CH students at Monterrey Tech and 250 Mexican students here on campus at any given point. Officials agree that, in time, this goal is attainable.

"I applaud Chancellor Moeser's goals," said Steve Flynn, director of the UNC-Exchange Program.

Provost Robert Shelton said that while the Monterrey Tech program is similar to the proposed Qatar program because it will help globalize UNC-CH, the program in Mexico also has different goals from the Qatar proposal.

Shelton said one aim of the potential satellite program in Qatar is to give UNC-CH an edge in an area of the world he said American universities have ignored.

"Qatar is a very specific program," Shelton said. "(It) is not interacting with a whole system of universities."

But Shelton said connections with Mexico are also becoming important. He said North Carolina's high percentage increase in Spanish-speaking residents, as well as technological developments in Mexico, are important reasons for UNC-CH to have connections with the country right now.

"I hope (the exchange program) gives us a much stronger connection to Mexico and Latin America," Shelton said. "I'd hope (students) would be enthusiastic about the opportunity to go there and to receive those students."

Shelton predicts the program in Mexico will continue to gain popularity, pointing to a rise in enrollment in Spanish classes.

Flynn said eight or nine UNC-system campuses have exchanged students with six or seven of the campuses in Mexico. "We're seeing tremendous growth and interest in study abroad at the system level," Flynn said.

Flynn said he is surprised to see more Mexican students than UNC students in the program. "We can work harder to make students here aware of the opportunities available in Mexico."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.

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