Críticas Magazine

Loida García-Febo

Cross-cultural exchange at the LIS School of the University of Puerto Rico
May 14, 2008

The Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technology (GSIST) of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) has launched a Cross-cultural Collaborative Leadership Project for LIS Education with the School of Information Sciences of the University of Tennessee (SIS-UTK). It is an innovative program that includes research, service projects and student/faculty exchanges between the two institutions. As part of the agreement a group of GSIST students will participate in SIS-UTK distance courses in the summer.

This is a unique opportunity for the UPR students to represent their University within an international learning community and to expand their own personal, professional and academic horizons. This summer, UPR students will participate in four different courses offered by the UTK, including one on Global Library and Information Systems.

“The collaboration between the UPR and the UTK opens the door to greater interaction between the UPR/ GSIST and other ALA accredited programs,” said Elizabeth Rivera-Hudders, President of the GSIST student body. People are often surprised to learn that the University of Puerto Rico has an ALA accredited LIS program. They are further surprise that the instruction is mainly in Spanish!

Considering the rising importance of the Latino community in the United States and how underrepresented we still are in our profession, the University of Puerto Rico has the opportunity of positioning itself among its peers by leveraging the natural advantages of its unique situation. Students benefit from the exposure to other schools and communities, as well as an expanded pool of curricular and co-curricular offerings.

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-Last Thursday, May 8, I had the opportunity to give a presentation to the GSIST students about marketing and services to multicultural populations. I want to thank Elizabeth and the GSIST for the invitation. It was nice to be back in the school!

*Next week I will feature Dr. Susan Freiband. She is a wonderful professor who after 20 years at the UPR is retiring to move back to the States...

Posted by Loida García-Febo on May 14, 2008 | Comments (0)