The University of Tulsa has established a new partnership with Universidad de Piura (UDEP) in Peru, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding and student exchange agreement this week. The partnership aims to enhance academic collaboration and student mobility and explore common areas for research and community engagement.
During UDEP’s visit to TU, led by Vice Rector Susana Vegas, faculty and staff from various schools and departments met with the delegation to discuss potential areas of collaboration. The delegation, which included Enrique Villar-Gambetta, the honorary consul of Peru in Oklahoma, visited the Collins College of Business, School of Language & Literature, College of Engineering & Natural Sciences (ENS), the Graduate School, and McFarlin Library.
Areas of research and community engagement were identified, including the Center for Family Business at UDEP, which conducts research and offers experimental learning opportunities for students with a focus on entrepreneurship education. Other research areas identified include microbusiness, digital literacy for local small businesses, energy efficiency, and artificial intelligence, as well as Spanish learning and Latin American literature studies.
The delegation was keen to learn about TU’s student support programs and student success initiatives. Provost George Justice and Graduate School Dean Jennifer Airey shared the programs and resources provided through the Student Success Center and First-Year Experience program, as well as TU’s institutional strategy on student success. McFarlin’s Bob Pickering and Lisa Grimes explained the Library Literacy program for first-year students. ENS Interim Dean Michael discussed his college’s approach to support students through faculty engagement. During the visit to TU’s Collins College of Business, Dean Kathy Taylor and faculty shared information about many societal development projects, including the support of Cherokee women’s business development, a poverty in North Tulsa class project, and student-initiated food security projects on campus.
TU President Brad R. Carson noted that both universities are committed to positively impacting their communities and supporting students from all backgrounds. The partnership aims to create collaborations on student global learning opportunities, sustainability research, and community engagement projects.
UDEP has more than 8,500 students enrolled in both Piura and Lima campuses with a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 750 professors, making it the university with the highest number of full-time professors in Peru. The Piura campus covers more than 130 hectares – more than half of which is reclaimed desert. The institution has a strong focus on sustainability and social impact, providing great support to low-income families in the region and initiating rural development projects in the dual Andean region.
This visit was facilitated by TU’s Center for Global Engagement. For more information about the international partnerships and study abroad opportunities at The University of Tulsa, please visit global.utulsa.edu or email global@utulsa.edu.