West Texas  A&M University has been selected with eleven other colleges and universities to participate in an academic program that hopes to establish student exchanges with Cuba. The initiative, which partners with the Institute of International Education, has been designed to help prepare these universities to begin building exchange programs with Cuban institutions.

It’s the first opportunity in 50 years to establish connections with Cuban universities.

“Since no other universities in the Unites States have been able to get access to send students over to Cuba, unless it was a very rare occasion, we get to be the very first group to get to go in,” said Dr. Paul Clark, a professor of History who is helping establish WT’s Cuba program. “If you really think about it, we get to be the first pioneers  who are going to take part of this initiative, so it’s really good for WT to be a part of this.”

WT students have been hearing about this new opportunity, and some are looking forward to the possibilities this new relationship  might bring.

“I’ve always wanted to study abroad,” Kristin Kruger, a sophomore Dance major, said. “I think that if WT does get the chance to send students over to Cuba, it will be a great opportunity for us. Not only would we get to visit such a great place, but we would get to learn things that not a lot of other American students will get a chance to learn.”

Although the new program will not get to start right away, for the next few months selected WT staff and faculty members will be preparing for this opportunity.

“Since there are so many rules and regulations that we need to learn, we are going to have to go through things like trainings, webinars, and several meetings to help get us ready and to help us understand what is going to happen when we are able to finally send and receive  students to and from Cuba,” Carolina Galloway, director of WT’s Study Abroad Office, said.

It is possible that WTAMU could sign an exchange with a Cuban university in 12 to 18 months.

Other universities joining WT in this program are the University of Arizona, Rutgers University, University of Indiana, University of Nebraska, University of Tampa, Virginia Commonwealth University, City University of New York’s Lehman College, Case Western Reserve University, State University of New York at New Paltz, Oberlin College and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest.