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Bluefield College (BC) students may soon have the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil and to learn Latin American culture firsthand by hosting students from Brazil, thanks to a new partnership between BC and the Federal University of Para (UFPA).

Chris Shoemaker

March 20, 2013

During a recent ceremony on the UFPA campus in Para, Brazil, officials from both institutions signed a General Agreement of Partnership that calls for collaborative study and programs between the two schools. The agreement, according to Bluefield College President David Olive, is designed to help students and professors from both organizations better understand one another’s people, places and cultures.

“We’re excited about the opportunities that await our students and professors through this new partnership with the Federal University of Para,” Dr. Olive said. “We believe the mere interaction of people of different countries, coming from different cultures will help us expand our horizons.”

Specifically, the agreement encourages joint projects, courses, conferences and seminars,along with periodic exchange of students, faculty and knowledge. In addition to being a great opportunity for the BC family to study and learn in Belem, the capital and the largest city of the state of Para in Brazil, the partnership is an honor for a small private college like BC.

“The Federal University of Para sits at the mouth of the Amazon River and provides a wonderful laboratory for our students and faculty,” said Dr. Olive. “It is an honor that UFPA has chosen Bluefield College as one of its two U.S. partners (the other partner being Michigan State University) because of our unique liberal arts focus.”

To learn more about the Bluefield College/Federal University of Para partnership, visit BC's Brazil Study Abroad web page, or e-mail .

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