½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

½ûÂþÌìÌà strengthened its ties to the Portuguese community when Chancellor Robert E. Johnson signed exchange agreements with several Portuguese universities at this year's annual State House Day of Portugal celebration.

Aboard the tall ship Sagres, Johnson, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of the Portuguese Republic, and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa signed student and faculty exchange agreements between ½ûÂþÌìÌà and and several Portuguese universities.

Johnson awarded ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's Chancellor's Medal to President De Sousa. Prime Minister Costa received the Chancellor's Citation for his work towards the educational exchange.

The exchange agreements are with ½ûÂþÌìÌà and the University of Algarve, University of Aveiro, University of Coimbra, University of Minho, University of Porto, and the Camões Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, the Portuguese government unit responsible for creating international ties in higher education.

"½ûÂþÌìÌà is honored to be the pre-eminent university in America dedicated to the study, teaching, and sharing of knowledge related to the Portuguese-American experience," Johnson said. "The economic and cultural bonds between our university, our region, and the Portuguese-speaking world are vast, strong, and filled with even greater potential."

The university houses the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives, and the Tagus Press, which publishes literary works.

In recent years, the university has expanded its relationships:

• SMAST has a doctoral education partnership with Brazil's University of São Paulo Institute of Oceanography.
• The College of Nursing and the University of the Azores established the "Bridging the Atlantic" community nursing student exchange program.
• The Charlton College of Business and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) bring students to a Startup Weekend entrepreneurship forum at the Nonagon Science and Technology Park in the Azores.
• The CIE also is advising the Azores business and government community on the development of a technology incubator.

More information