Partnering with Cuba

The recent restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba has inspired a flurry of interest in  establishing academic partnerships with institutions of higher education in Cuba. And while organizations have been working consistently and diligently over the years to encourage, promote, and support collaboration between U.S. and Cuban institutions of higher education, the recent changes have inspired new initiatives that can be helpful to institutions that want to form partnerships with institutions in Cuba.

The Cuba TIES Workshop of Strategic Alliances for the Internationalization of Higher Education is one such effort. Shannon Marquez, associate vice provost in the Office of International Programs at Drexel University, along with several of her colleagues, attended the first Cuba TIES workshop in the fall of 2015, a conference exploring internationalization and cooperation between the two countries’ colleges and universities. “Cuba TIES is an excellent way to learn about opportunities for academic partnerships in Cuba, and to be introduced to institutions across Cuba,” says Marquez. “I had worked side by side on global health issues with Cuban physicians for many years in Africa. Since we were already familiar with the innovative teaching and advances in community health and environmental sustainability going on in Cuba, we were eager to identify areas of mutual interest and launch some joint initiatives.” She adds, “For such a long time, U.S. institutions have not had a chance to interact with institutions in Cuba. Meanwhile Cuba has been partnering with many institutions around the world, so it was