Architecture students to be packing suitcases

subNine University of Calgary architecture students will be gaining an international perspective on their discipline through a new exchange program with schools of architecture in the U.S. and Mexico.

Made possible by a $160,000 contribution from Human Resources Development Canada, the four-year project will fund one term of study abroad for the students and allow Calgary faculty members to participate in final project review sessions at each of the American and Mexican partner institutions.

The project is part of the Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education. The HRDC grant was awarded to a Canadian consortium that includes U of C, the University of Manitoba and the University of Waterloo.

“ The goals of the program are to better prepare architects for global (and NAFTA) practice, to promote awareness of other cultures, to realize cooperation between institutions, and to build friendships between countries,” says Brian Sinclair, the dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design. “Cultural immersion is clearly central to the equation. ”

The first U of C students will be chosen this academic year for travel in the next academic year. The plan is to send three students from Calgary each year, while students from the other partner institutions will travel here.

The combined grants from Canadian, U.S. and Mexican federal agencies for this program exceed $500,000.

Former EVDS Dean Mary-Ellen Tyler was instrumental in crafting the proposal for this initiative, one of 10 projects funded by HRDC this year under the North American Mobility Program.

For more information, contact Brian R. Sinclair, dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design at 220-6606, or Greg Harris, Media Relations, 220-3506.