Troy University News

September 18, 2003

Contact:
Tom Davis
Troy Office of University Relations
334/670-3196
tomdavis@troy.edu

Office of University Relations
253 Adams Administration
Troy, AL 36082
(334) 670-3196
(334) 670-3274 (fax)

TROY STATE UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS PRESS RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 1-334-670-3196

   TSU Chancellor visits Cuba with U.S. delegation
   Troy State University Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. recently received a first-hand look at the higher education system of Cuba as part of the first delegation of U.S. university officials to that country in more than 40 years.
   The U.S. delegation’s visit was sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The group was in Cuba from Sunday, Sept. 7 until Friday, Sept. 12. Under Fidel Castro’s rule, Cuba has been traditionally closed to U.S. educators.
   The delegation visited universities, including the University of Havana, the Latin American School of Medicine and the University of Mantanzas and made several cultural stops at museums, hospitals and clinics.
   The TSU Chancellor presented an overview of American higher education on behalf of the AASCU delegation to the representatives of the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education. Rodolfo Alacon, First Vice Minister of Higher Education, presented the briefing and overview of the Cuban education system.
   Dr. Hawkins said he was impressed both by Cuba’s potential to become a major player in the Central American economy and by the effectiveness of its system of education.
   “They have achieved an impressive literacy rate of close to 100 percent of the Cuban population,” he said.
   Cuba is also seeking to find its economic niche, Dr. Hawkins said.
   “The Cuban government under Fidel Castro has achieved what it set out to do—redistribute wealth through communism,” Dr. Hawkins said. “However, primary shortcomings also arising from communism have left Cuban officials unfamiliar with dealing in an open market. Most Americans have to be at least 55 years old to remember Cuba without Castro.”
   Dr. Hawkins said the Cuban officials are determined to see the United States lift the embargo on trade and travel that has been in place since 1963. He said much of his discussion with Fernando Vecino Alegret, the Cuban Minister of Higher Education, concerned economic issues and the state of the economy in Alabama.
   “Their focus is like a laser beam on our embargo,” Dr. Hawkins said. “If conditions ever change where our government would feel comfortable in lifting the embargo, it could be a major economic boost for Alabama given that Cuba and Alabama are only a few hundred miles apart.”
   Cuban officials have already signed an agreement with Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks to import Alabama agricultural products, including poultry, wood, cotton and powdered milk, through the state’s major port facilities in Mobile, Dr. Hawkins added. The U.S. embargo makes an exception for agricultural commodities.
   Dr. Hawkins said there is also a great opportunity for “intellectual trade” in the form of international partnerships between U.S. and Cuban universities, including faculty and student exchange programs, where students could “be immersed in the cultures” of each country.
   Dr. Hawkins said such exchange programs would fit with Troy State University’s growing international focus. In 1991, he said, students from 10 nations studied in Troy. Today, that number has grown to more than 60 nations. In addition, TSU’s University College operates more than 50 sites outside Alabama in 14 U.S. states and 10 foreign nations.
   Cuba, particularly the capital city of Havana, would be hospitable to U.S. exchange students, as the country is opening up to visitors from other nations.
   “Cuba is in the process of returning to its former status as a major destination for tourism in the Caribbean,” Dr. Hawkins added. “The Cuban government is restoring old Havana to its former grandeur.”
   Dr. Hawkins said higher education officials in Cuba are also interested in cooperative ventures with TSU in another area—baseball.
   “When we talked about education initiatives and explained what some of our universities are doing, the presidents were interested,” Dr. Hawkins said. “But when we talked about baseball, we really got their attention. They are as obsessed with baseball as Southerners are with college football.”