Western New Mexico University signed agreements with four higher education institutions in the border state of Sonora at the 2018 Annual Plenary Meeting of the New Mexico Sonora Commission on Thursday, August 23.
The meeting took place in Santa Fe and was attended by delegates from both the State of New Mexico and the State of Sonora, Mexico. Among the higher education delegates at the meeting was WNMU President Dr. Joseph Shepard whose initiatives in the realm of international education have spurred agreements between WNMU and 48 Mexican universities.
President Shepard met the rectors from Universidad de Sonora; Universidad Estatal de Sonora; Centro Regional de Formación Profesional Docente de Sonora; and Secretaría de Educación y Cultura for a private meeting on Thursday morning, leaving having signed general collaboration agreements with each institution.
“The State of Sonora and the State of New Mexico share much culturally and economically. With the signed Memorandums of Understanding, we are embarking on sharing education as well,” President Shepard said. “Education does not have any borders and creating a collaboration with our neighbors only strengthens both states.”
The New Mexico Sonora Commission is a forum for discussing and resolving issues of mutual concern to the governments of both states in order to identify cooperative projects and determine how to carry out cultural, artistic, public safety, economic and industrial affairs together. Members include New Mexico Governor Suzanna Martinez and New Mexico Tourism Department Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Latham. The late Linda Kay Joes, who once served as WNMU’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement, was also an early member of the commission.