Brazil’s Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná and Kent State began their relationship with one another in 2012, and have now established the American Academy together.

The American Academy’s mission is to increase student’s success and encourage them to seek a brighter future through a global education experience.  

Currently, over 1,300 students choose to study abroad throughout 60 different countries.

Kent State values each of their international students and the importance of the countries they come from.

“We have always been a university that has had a strong international focus,” said Todd Diacon, the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

“In a critical time in the world, we value global education, we value partnerships where we reach hands across countries, to say we are more alike and easily able to blend our unique cultures to this education we’re calling the American Academy,” President Beverly Warren said.

Warren encourages students to take advantage of all the study abroad opportunities Kent has to offer while completing their undergraduate degree.

PUCPR’s quality education can give students the success and knowledge they need to better prepare them to enter their professional life post-graduation in their specific job field.

Diacon and Warren worked specifically together to establish this new opportunity for Kent State and PUCPR students.

“We wanted to create something that has never been done before,” Warren said. “This is not a simple study abroad opportunity — those are valuable, incredibly life changing — this is the partnership of two universities agreeing to share degrees.”

Students enrolled at PUCPR in Brazil will have the option to come to Kent State to complete their degree after their first two years.

As for Kent State students, they may choose to enroll for a two-year stay at PUCPR and then be given the decision to return to Kent to finish out their degree.

Diacon said the international environment for studying abroad right now faces challenges and complications, but Kent State will keep looking for multiple ways to attract international students.

Brazilian students will take only one course at a time for approximately three to four weeks. Kent State professors believe this strategy can help students to develop better English skills and allow full concentration on one subject at a time.

This new arrangement signed between both universities will be effective in Fall 2018.

“We are in the process of recruiting (international) students to enroll in the fall and have reached somewhere between fifty to seventy students,” Diacon said. 

Moira Reed is the construction reporter. Contact her at [email protected]

Meghann Morrow  is the Recruiting and Retention reporter. Contact her at [email protected].