Southern Illinois University Edwardsville takes its first step in theeducational agreement between SIU and the University of Havana in Cuba during June. SIUE College of Arts and Sciences colleagues Larry LaFond, associate dean of CAS, and Wendy Shaw, associate dean for Academic Programs and Faculty Development, will lead a group of four students to Havana.
Along with two days of lectures at UH and a meeting with the University Students Federation, SIUE students will experience a broad taste of Cuban culture and history. The SIUE contingent will depart on Wednesday, June 5, and return on Sunday, June 16. The group will:
- Tour Old Havana and the Morro Castle
- Visit the Museum of the Revolution and the Community Project of the Office of the Historian in San Isidro
- Visit the town of Regia, the Church of the Black Virgin and the Morro Fortress
- Visit the Cabilda Quisicuaba to learn about Cuba’s Afro-syncretic religions
- Visit the central city of Matanzas, the Pharmacy Museum and hand-made book publishers
- Visit Santa Clara, explore Revolutionary War memorabilia and the Che Memorial
CAS Dean Aldemaro Romero’s goal is to demonstrate that a Midwestern university with no apparent connection to Cuba can create a variety of diverse programs to develop academic diplomacy by establishing connections both academically and culturally. Romero has worked vigorously on the project since 2009 to define the cooperative relationship between the universities.
The interdisciplinary studies class allows students to visit Cuba for 10 days in the middle of the course and then return to SIUE for completion. Romero believes the alliance between the universities will give students a broader world perspective in an ever-growing global economy.
The initiative between the Cuban government and SIUE is only the second in the nation – the first being with Harvard University.