PACTS TO LEAD TO MORE OPPORTUNITIES
By Pete Rosenbery
Recent agreements between the School of Architecture and two universities in Mexico are expected to create enhanced educational experiences for students. Melinda LaGarce, associate professor and interior design program director, sees the relationship with Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) and Tecnologico de Monterrey, or Monterrey Tech, continuing to grow.
LaGarce was among a delegation from SIU to visit both Mexican universities last fall. Rolando Gonzalez-Torres, associate professor in the School of Architecture, was among the people who played a key role in connecting both of the universities with SIU.
The agreements between the institutions call for cultural and educational exchanges; they also facilitate the exchange of students and faculty and other collaborative ventures. Officials from UDEM visited SIU Carbondale earlier this spring.
In April, about 30 students in SIU’s senior architecture program met online with students from Monterrey Tech utilizing technology in Morris Library’s smart rooms to share ideas for a studio project involving a state-of-the-art research library on Monterrey Tech’s campus. Students and faculty visited SIU this spring before going to New Harmony, Ind., where students from both universities are involved in a bioclimatic design project.
UDEM has a campus enrollment of more than 12,000 students; Monterrey Tech has more than 14,500 full-time students enrolled on the Monterrey campus and more than 91,000 students enrolled at campuses around Mexico.
LaGarce said UDEM’s interior design program and curriculum “very much parallels” that of SIU’s. That can be a benefit for UDEM in seeking an interior design accreditation. Another benefit of the collaboration is the number of international architecture and interior design firms -- many with SIU graduates – in the Chicago area that would be open for internships, LaGarce said.
“Chicago is known worldwide for design,” she said. “Whether it is architectural, industrial design, interior design or whatever it is. That means the finest architecture and interior design firms are there also. We have that linkage very well established.”
A shared curriculum will also allow students and faculty from SIU to study and teach in Monterrey, Mexico, where classes can be offered in English. Officials hope to make that opportunity available by fall 2016. LaGarce said other possibilities under exploration are interior design students from SIU and UDEM earning dual degrees from each institution, and students from Mexico enrolling in the university’s online Master of Architecture program.
“That means that we are sharing in detail our syllabi across the board and it doesn’t happen very often. You have to develop a good level of trust and rapport with faculty and administrators to be able to do that. That feeling is very good,” she said.
Walter Wendler, director of the School of Architecture, believes the arrangement will benefit students and faculty from both institutions.
“We want to build a strong international working relationship so that our students are exposed to practices outside the United States,” he said.