Mercer University: Brazil on Our Radar

August 9, 2014

 

Founded in 1833, Mercer University has a long-standing reputation of academic excellence, diversity, and local and global outreach. With anchor locations in Macon and Atlanta, Mercer offers more than 130 academically rigorous programs at the undergraduate through doctoral levels ranging from liberal arts to medicine. Mercer operates on the principles of liberal learning, professional knowledge, discovery, community, and service to humankind – thus contributing to generations of forward-thinking, independent, humanitarian leaders.

 

Past relationships with Brazil have involved Mercer’s law school (working with federal judges in Rio de Janeiro), the executive MBA program, the engineering faculty, and various study abroad and service learning programs to Brazil.

 

In line with Mercer’s dedication to creating a welcoming, diverse campus, Mercer offers specialized services and programs to international students on campus, such as the International House, which allows international students to integrate with American students in a “living-learning” environment. Mercer’s English Language Institute has been running since 1986, and offers affordable, eight-week English sessions throughout the year in Atlanta, with home-stays or on-campus housing available. Mercer’s international students regularly give cultural presentations at local schools, attend prestigious conferences, and interact with the community during International Coffee Hour at a nearby café.

 

For nearly a decade, Mercer has partnered with Brazil to expose students and faculty to Brazilian and American cultures and to collaborate on important research and training initiatives. Long before the establishment of the Brazil Institute at Mercer (BRIM), the Mercer community had Brazil on its radar. Past relationships with Brazil have involved Mercer’s law school (working with federal judges in Rio de Janeiro), the executive MBA program, the engineering faculty, and various study abroad and service learning programs to Brazil.

 

Today, Mercer hosts nearly fifty Brazilian students through the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) and the English Language Institute. Mercer was one of the first universities to partner with CAPES as a BSMP host, and the number of Brazilians at Mercer has been increasing due to Mercer’s attractive small class sizes and opportunities for hands-on research from the undergraduate level.

 

Other strategic partnerships include the Fulbright Program and Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program. Local Mercer students have enjoyed the Mercer on Mission service learning opportunities to Brazilian schools and favelas through Brazil’s Joao XXIII Institute. Mercer sees a strong relationship with Brazil in its future, and is in the midst of exploring additional partnerships in mutually important research areas such as public health.