Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the President of Chile Sebastian Piñera met Friday at UCLA to oversee signings of memorandums of understanding to strengthen the academic relationship between universities in California and Chile.
Deans from both UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and one of Chile’s business schools, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, also proposed a dual executive MBA program, encouraging more collaboration between the two schools, according to a press release.
Because the program is still pending final approval from the UC Office of the President, organizers would not go into more detail about the program.
According to the Anderson School website, the program was created to collaborate with Latin America’s growing presence in the global economy, and will offer students a deeper look into Latin America’s business environment.
“I’m particularly happy that one of the (memorandums of understanding) that we have signed today has to do with education, because that’s the mother of all the battles,” Piñera said in a speech. “And basically, whether we win or we lose that battle will make the difference between success or failure in our future.”
Schwarzenegger noted in a speech that the university exchange program goes back to the 1960s.
“As governor I have worked very hard to help solidify that relationship,” he said.
It is not unusual for figures of importance to come to campus, and Piñera is one of many foreign dignitaries and statesmen to visit the campus, said Phil Hampton, university spokesman.
“Because UCLA is one of the world’s leading research universities, it is important to host and engage with leaders,” Hampton said.
“It’s a reflection of the university’s standing.”
He added that the university does everything possible to welcome the guests and ensure their comfort in the school’s surroundings.
“Each country has its own set of customs and cultures, and we work with the other party to ensure proper protocol is followed,” Hampton said.
“We want to create a comfortable and respected aesthetic for them to engage their ideas.”