The Scholar in Residence will be hosted by USC Price School for Public Policy Sacramento Program each fall, where they will work with students, faculty and key policy experts and producers to advance knowledge and education in binational relations.
By Angela McCracken
The University of Southern California and COMEXUS, the Comisión México-Estados Unidos para el Intercambio Educativo y Cultural (U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange) will establish an annual U.S.-Mexico Scholar in Residence program, to be held by a Mexican academic and hosted by the USC Price School for Public Policy’s Sacramento Program.
The agreement, announced on March 16 by the university and COMEXUS, is the first of its type and will allow a leading researcher from Mexico to focus on themes that are critical to both the U.S. and Mexico. Energy and bi-national relations will be the initial focus.
The program was announced by USC Provost Michael Quick and Executive Director Hazel Blackmore of COMEXUS.
The collaboration agreement emphasized the importance of the California-Mexico relationship and the urgency of addressing bi-national energy policy coordination.
“Historic reforms in the area of energy policy by the government of Mexico and the state of California have created an extraordinary opportunity to explore cross-border collaboration, particularly in the area of renewable energy sources, and strengthen our partnership and global leadership in this area,” said USC Price Dean H. Jack Knott. The Price School’s location and expertise in regional and global policy were pivotal to the establishment of this strategic relationship.
Through this collaboration, a leading Mexican academic will conduct a four-month residency each year at the USC Price School in the California state capital, undertaking research and organizing policy forums on U.S.-Mexico relations for policymakers and students in both Sacramento and Los Angeles. Upon returning to Mexico, the individuals selected for the Scholar in Residence Program are expected to continue the research and policy ties developed in California.
“COMEXUS is the premier institution for U.S.-Mexico academic collaboration, and we are very excited they have chosen the USC Price School of Public Policy as the first partner in the new Mexico Studies Scholar in Residence program,” said Anthony Bailey, USC vice president for strategic and global initiatives.
Blackmore added, “Along with the multiple and longstanding collaborations with the University of Southern California, COMEXUS is proud to establish this innovative Mexico scholar-in-residence program with an emphasis on energy, because it is a high priority for both countries.”
Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest, academic CV, and three letters of reference to COMEXUS by May 16. Finalists will be interviewed by a bi-national committee by the end of May 2016, and the selected candidate will begin their in the Spring of 2017.