University of San Diego Partners with Colombian University To  Promote Social Innovation and Cultural Understanding

SAN DIEGO, June 19- The University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (Kroc School) and Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios in Bogotá, Colombia have been selected to participate in a unique program aimed at increasing student exchange and training opportunities throughout the Americas.

Sponsored by the Colombian Institute of Educational Loans and Studies Abroad (ICETEX) and the U.S. Department of State, the Kroc School is one of only eleven U.S. universities selected to participate in the Innovation Fund program. The Innovation Fund inspires U.S. universities and colleges to team up with higher education institutions in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada to create dynamic partnerships that will increase student exchange and training opportunities throughout the Americas. Innovation Fund partnerships construct bridges of connectivity, strengthening education cooperation regionally and increased opportunities for students to gain new skills, work in teams, and become better prepared for the global workforce.

"Winning an Innovation Fund Grant is a validation of the Kroc School's distinctive collaborative learning model in social innovation and peacebuilding. This grant will enable co-creation, with our partner Uniminuto, of solutions to existing challenges in the region. A central component of our model is that it supports the flow of students in both directions as teams of Colombian students will come to San Diego in late spring to pitch their social innovations," says Kroc School Dean Patricia Marquez.

The $25,000 grant will be matched with other Kroc School funds to build opportunities for students to explore peacebuilding and social innovation work through the creation of a new U.S.-Colombia bi-directional exchange program which will allow Colombian students to participate in the year-long Global Social Innovation Challenge at USD, and for U.S. students to travel to Colombia to learn about social innovation and peacebuilding.

To date, since January 2014, the Innovation Fund has awarded 168 grants to teams of 325 higher education institutions from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere region. Colombia now ranks second in this signature hemispheric-wide education initiative:  a total of 39 higher education teams from 23 U.S. states and 14 Colombian states are working together to implement Innovation Fund partnerships and provide more student exchange and training programs in a variety of academic fields. 

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.