Highlights from Education Mission to Brazil – September 2012

August 30 to September 6, 2012 Commerce Under-Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez led an Education Trade Mission of 66 U.S. institutions of higher education to Brasília, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro to introduce them to Brazilian students and academic leaders. Delegates for this largest-ever Education Trade Mission participated in education fairs and visited local schools. This mission supported the National Export Initiative by assisting U.S. institutions of higher education in entering or expanding in international markets.

Under Secretary Sánchez and Ambassador Shannon inaugurated the EducationUSA fair in Brasília, the first time it has ever been held in Brazil’s capital. Mission delegates also received briefings at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, and participated in a mini-fair at a local high school.

In addition to the main student recruitment fair, the mission also participated in two mini-fairs at São Paulo-area private high schools and in a matchmaking program where 31 Brazilian colleges and universities met with their American counterparts.

In Rio de Janeiro, the participants visited local high schools in addition to the main student fair. Major press attention followed the mission throughout and helped set record attendance.
Brasilia: 2,800 attendees (first time for fair)
Sao Paulo: 2,700 (last year 800)
Rio de Janiero: 2,500 (last year 1,000)
All stops surpassed previous EducationUSA attendance records (1,800 in Santiago).

Westchester USEAC Director Joan Kanlian was Project Officer of the ODO team that included Greg Thompson of the North Texas USEAC and Amy Ryan of the Atlanta USEAC. This is the first time that the Dept. of Commerce and the Dept. of State’s EducationUSA worked in close cooperation to prepare a comprehensive program for US higher education institutions.

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