The partners in this consortium propose to establish a North American Scholars Program for the purpose of graduating students with advanced language skills, a more profound understanding of our respective cultures, and increased cooperation and exchange opportunities among the academic faculties in order to assure long-term sustainability of these academic relationships. This mission will be accomplished by the following methods: (a) development of curricula and programs that are transferable among the six institutions; (b) improved methods for acquiring language skills; (c) activities that offer a profound understanding of our respective cultures; (d) recruitment of business and community leaders to support scholarships, internships, and work-related experiences; and (e) the initiation of methods to foster increased cooperation and exchange opportunities among the academic faculties. An external evaluator, experienced with student mobility efforts will submit assessments of language development, cultural development, the effectiveness of shared curriculum, the efficiency of credit transfers, the value of distance learning technology, of the organizational framework of this project. The end result will be trilingual graduates who can become successful professionals anywhere in North America.

FY 2002 Award: $26,466
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $208,821

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The Alliance will better prepare business students to participate in and promote the goals of the North American Free Trade Agreement through reinforcement of foreign language competency, enhancement of cross-cultural awareness, and consideration of cultural adaptation. The project calls for greater cooperation between language departments and business schools to foster the development of innovative teaching methods using new Web technology to facilitate curriculum revision, virtual teaming, multicultural discussion using the Internet and video conferencing, and the involvement of exchange students representing NAFTA countries on international virtual teams.

FY 2002 Award: $24,358
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $209,966

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This project develops a multi-dimensional program for undergraduate nursing students to explore the role of the nurse within each country's health care system, to grow in multicultural awareness and recognition of specific health care beliefs and values held by people from each country, and to participate in a "cultural immersion experience." Students will become culturally competent with respect to the nurse's role and to the health care systems in each country; they will form a collaborative caring community of future nurses; and they will become knowledgeable of each country's health care system and its impact on the role and scope of nursing practice.

FY 2002 Award: $30,000
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $230,000

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This consortium will bring together students from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to improve information flow in the animal sciences and associated agricultural areas. The consortium plans to focus on increasing student mobility, enhancing the curriculum, and providing and promoting strong cultural experiential learning opportunities. The latter will be achieved through off-campus, rural community experience and coursework in another partner country.

FY 2002 Award: $29,952
Total US Funding: 4 years, $209,157

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The partners in this consortium propose to offer coursework and exchange opportunities to students from Canada, Mexico, and the United States in order to enhance human resource development and establish a new generation of leaders in the nonprofit sector. The consortium will establish new courses on volunteerism, philanthropy, and nonprofit management that will be offered cooperatively through distance learning at the participating institutions. It will also provide student exchanges and work placements for 50 students from the three countries.

FY 2002 Award: $30,000
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $214,313

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This continental exchanges program focuses on architecture and urban conservation in the historic cities and settlements of North America, places that are both challenged and helped by economic development and globalization. It will provide students from the three countries opportunities for semester-long study at partner institutions as well as specialized intensive summer workshops. The semester exchanges will involve full academic credit reciprocity among the schools in their professional design curricula. Each country will host one of the workshops beginning in the second year. Workshops will give students the opportunity to work alongside professionals and experts in the fields of architecture and urban conservation.

FY 2002 Award: $31,869
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $203,076

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In the course of this project, partner institutions will develop an international curriculum relating to recreation, tourism, and tourism development. A minimum of 42 students as well as some faculty/staff from the consortium partners will directly benefit from the exchange over the lifetime of the project and its planned legacy. This project will draw on the collective expertise of the members in the development of common curriculum in the field of recreational tourism. Further, the project will expose students to business practices and structures of the recreational tourism industry as well as environmental concerns of sustainable economic development in indigenous communities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. To this end, the project will facilitate professional mobility within NAFTA, provide a consistent NAFTA tourism experience, and develop new accreditation partnerships among our three countries.

FY 2002 Award: $30,000
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $200,000

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NAFTA Challenges of Accounting and Business Systems is designed to foster the professional and ethical preparation of future leaders in the international arena and global markets of the North American marketplace. The focus of the program is to foster student and faculty exchanges in the areas of accounting and business systems, to support the accreditation of accounting faculties, curriculum, and students and to serve as a model for other universities. The program will provide opportunities for intensive language preparation and intends to establish a network of scholars and practicing professionals working towards the development of joint curricula and instruction delivery and will promote increased cooperation and exchange of ideas among the three countries.

FY 2002 Award: $30,000
Total US Funding Estimate: 4 years, $221,160

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