By Cristy Lytal
USC Price School of Public Policy Dean Jack H. Knott joined USC President C. L. Max Nikias and a delegation of university trustees, senior administrators and deans on a trip to Mexico City to strengthen partnerships with premier Mexican institutions and foster ties with alumni.
“At the Price School, we have a strong, strategic priority to further expand our well-established global presence,” Knott said. “And it makes a lot of sense, given the proximity and the common cultural and historical legacy, to have Mexico as one of our strategic partners. It’s a very important relationship.”
During the March visit, Knott signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), establishing an educational exchange program for undergraduate students. Under the agreement, students from each institution will be able to participate in the exchange and have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester.
“It’s hugely important for students to have a global international perspective,” Knott said. “It gives them a better understanding and appreciation of their own culture, and helps them learn about the value and the richness of the Mexican culture or any culture in which they find themselves working. These experiences and social interactions can shape the way they learn and how they think about political systems.”
“It also helps Price students to have more international students in our undergraduate classes,” he added, “and it’s similar for the university in Mexico. I’m a strong believer in study abroad opportunities and international education, especially in today’s world where we’re so interconnected.”
Knott also signed an agreement with the Tecnológico de Monterrey, a private university with 100,000 students and several campuses. The purpose of this MOU is to promote and expand international understanding, development and friendship between the two schools through activities such as student exchange programs, faculty exchanges, visiting scholar opportunities, collaborative research projects and conferences.
As part of the trip, Knott was able to reconnect with Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Mexico’s equivalent of the National Science Foundation. CONACYT has an existing MOU to support joint scholarships for up to 15 Mexican students pursuing master’s degrees in public administration, public policy, urban planning and health administration at USC Price.
“Whether we’re talking about urban planning or health, these professions are global,” Knott said. “If you look at Mexico City and you look at L.A., there are a lot of similar issues. You can learn from the different solutions that professionals there are using versus here — the data collection and methods. These master’s students will get that as part of their education.”
The larger USC delegation expanded the relationship with CONACYT through a new agreement establishing up to 30 postdoctoral fellowships for Mexican scholars to study at USC.
Knott also joined the delegation at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), founded in 1551. In addition to being the oldest university in North America, it is also one of the largest, with 300,000 students across several campuses. Knott met with key colleagues, including the dean and faculty members from the division of political and social sciences.
During this introductory meeting, Knott and his UNAM counterparts discussed the potential of collaborating on urban issues as a way to introduce faculty with common research interests.
Currently, several USC Price faculty are engaged in Mexico-based research including Emma Águila, who focuses on poverty; Adam Rose and Dan Wei, who study climate change; Ali Abbas, who examines border security; and Hilda Blanco, who explores land use and urban challenges. Roberto Suro, director of the USC Price Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), Janet Denhardt, director of the Price School in Sacramento, and adjunct faculty Jonathan Brown and Grace Dyrness are also involved with projects in Mexico.
In addition, Professor Gary Painter has led student projects in Mexico as part of the master of public policy practicum. For the MPP practicum, Price students serve as consultants to high-profile clients such as Instituto par alas Mujeres en la Migración and think tank FUNDAR.
“Having these research ties can lead to vital faculty relationships across universities, and sometimes can then lead to broader types of collaboration around research,” Knott said.
“Not only are the professions globalizing, but our fields of study are also becoming global,” he added. “And so having international colleagues as part of what you do as a scholar is very important now than ever before.”
Knott also joined the USC delegation in presenting the inaugural Judge Widney Award for public service to Mexico’s foreign secretary, José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, who hosted the visit.
Knott concluded his time in Mexico with a USC Trojan Family reception, which drew around 200 alumni, parents, local high school administrators and friends.
“As a school, we’re hoping this outreach will open up a range of relationships in terms of study abroad opportunities for students, collaborative research projects, hosting visiting scholars from Mexican universities, and working together on common important policy and planning issues,” Knott said.