The U.S./Mexico Commission for Education and Cultural Exchange, better known as Comexus, is celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Fulfilling its mission to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Mexico through education and cultural exchange, Comexus has made it possible for more than 1,000 Mexicans to visit and study in the United States.

Administering the Fulbright-García Robles scholarship program, Comexus sends students to such prestigious schools as Harvard, Stanford and Columbia. But some applicants know little more than the names of these outstanding universities. "Comexus steers them to the U.S. school that is right for them according to what they plan to study," says Executive Director Arturo Borjas.

A high score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is necessary for candidates. As a result of this requirement, the majority of chosen students came from excellent schools in large cities of Mexico, highlighting the disadvantage students have in poorer regions where teaching English is not a priority.

"In order to make the selection process less elitist, we created a second pool of applicants from states where the educational opportunities are not as top notch as they are in Mexico City, Guadalajara or Puebla," explains Borja.

This secondary pool gave students from such states as Campeche, Oaxaca or Quintana Roo an advantage over students with similar academic merit hailing from large metropolitan areas and the nation´s most prestigious schools. In addition, they are given six months to bring their English up to the acceptable level.

In keeping with the idea of making scholarships available to a broader swath of the population, Comexus began a summer workshop program in which English teachers in Mexican public schools have the chance to visit schools in the United States, meet U.S. teachers, become acquainted with new technology and practice their English.

Furthermore, the extensive Teacher Exchange Program sends teachers of English to replace Spanish language teachers in the United States while U.S. teachers take their places in Mexico to teach English. This exchange helps teachers speak with greater knowledge and authority about their neighboring country when teaching their own students back home.

UNDER APPRECIATED

Although this program has been quite successful, sometimes school administrators do not recognize the value of these exchanges. To raise awareness among administrators of the advantages teachers have after teaching in the United States, Comexus recently began a program sending school administrators north of the border as well.

Once they realize how much is gained by actually going to the United States and learning the language and the culture first hand, they are far more willing to allow their teachers to participate in the program.

Comexus has sent also more than 1,000 people from the United States to Mexico. In addition to the teacher exchange programs, "graduate students often come here to do research for their thesis," says Borja.

Until recently, many U.S. students were hesitant to earn a graduate degree in Mexico. As Mexican universities have improved their academic level, however, there is now a trickle of students opting to study in Mexico for their Master´s degree.

Funding for these programs comes from the U.S. and Mexican governments. Comexus has instituted a fund-raising campaign with a goal of US$5 million in order to make more scholarships available for Mexicans who wish to study or do research in the United States "We already have half a million dollars and hope to reach our goal at the end of two years," says Borja.

Currently, Comexus offers its candidates a partial tuition waiver at the U.S. university they plan to attend and a US$15,000 stipend. University tuition in the United States is usually quite high relative to Mexican institutions of higher learning and candidates must often search for additional funding to make their studies abroad a reality.

Through its fund-raising campaign, Comexus will be able to send more deserving students to the United States to get advanced degrees. Upon graduation, these students return to Mexico and frequently become leaders in government and other sectors. Although Comexus does not promise returning students a job, networking among previous Comexus scholars has led to the placement of many returning scholars in good positions.

Comexus plans several celebrations in various states in honor of their 15th anniversary. There is a good deal to celebrate but Comexus is still intent upon coming up with new innovative programs and finding the resources to carry them out.

Rhona Statland de López is always interested in her readers´ comments. Please address them to rhonav@gmail.com