Lehman Provost and Latin American Professor
development
Lehman Provost and Latin American Professor
Lehman Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anny Morrobel-Sosa and Professor Teresita Levy , an associate professor of Latin American and Puerto Rican Studies , were part of an historic delegation that could have long-range ramifications for future higher education partnerships between U . S . colleges and Cuba . The two represented Lehman — one of 12 institutions in attendance — as part of the International Academics Partnership Program ( IAPP ) organized by the Institute of International Education ( IIE ) this past October .
Morrobel-Sosa and Levy referred to their historic trip as transformational on both a personal and professional level . Along with the IIE delegation , they spent a week meeting with public dignitaries , educators , and students in Havana and several other cities around the country . The Obama administration ’ s restoration of diplomatic ties for the first time since 1961 has created a sense of exciting possibilities between the two nations , but educators are proceeding slowly , according to Morrobel-Sosa . She emphasized the importance of developing long-term and lasting relationships with Cuban officials . “ It ’ s like discovering a new world ,” Morrobel-Sosa said . “ The Cuban university leaders are eager to participate in the expansion of knowledge and the creation of new ideas .”
Professor Levy is interested in taking a leadership role in the school ’ s development of a Cuban partnership with Lehman and is optimistic that with thoughtful planning , cooperation , and institutional support , an eight-week , six-credit course could be developed at Lehman by the summer of 2017 . For Levy , the visit to Cuba was a return to the island after conducting graduate research as a student at the CUNY Graduate Center in 1999 and 2000 .
On a personal level , Morrobel-Sosa found the experience of traveling to Cuba transformational . As a native of the Dominican Republic , she was able to communicate fluently with the people she met and felt that the strong connection was at least in part fueled by a shared history . In addition to this kinship , there was another personal connection . “ I have a relative who is alive
The educators returned to Cuba on February 15 for “ Universidad 2016 ,” a five-day international higher education conference in Havana . “ This [ is ] the perfect follow-up to build upon the relationships that we created when we were last there ,” said Levy . “ I am hoping that not only will we solidify our relationships with the colleges and universities in Cuba , but that we will create new relationships with other institutions around the world .”
Morrobel-Sosa envisions the potential for Lehman and CUNY to develop short-term faculty and graduate student exchanges for several weeks at a time with Cuban universities , but “ we would need to find funding to support this initiative .” She suggested that funding sources could include a diverse series of global agencies , offering the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as possible benefactors . The Provost suggests that any proposals for exchange would likely focus on themes that have social impact — such as sustainable agriculture and sustainable living in urban environments — and solving global challenges like food and water production .
1 . Old Havana streetscape . 2 . The town square in Matanzas , Cuba . 3 . José Martí National Library . 4 . One of the rooms in the Cuban National Archives in Havana .
6 Lehman Today