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November 11, 2013

Global Dominican Academic Exchange Program Launches First Activity at Yale University

Global Dominican Academic Exchange Program Launches First Activity at Yale University New Haven, Connecticut, November 11, 2013
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Ten Dominican college students traveled today to participate in the first edition of the Global Dominican Academic Exchange Program from November 11-16, 2013 at Yale University.

The Global Dominican Academic Exchange program, a project of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister organization in the Dominican Republic, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), through their program InteRDom Internships in the Dominican Republic, aims to introduce Dominican students to the American style of liberal arts education and encourage dialogue between Dominican students and their Dominican-American counterparts attending these institutions, thereby encouraging and inspiring partnership and entrepreneurship initiatives which will foster innovation and stimulate Dominican economic development and international understanding. The activity at Yale University was also supported by the Dominican Ministry of Higher Education in Science and Technology.

The participating students are a diverse group who study a wide range of subjects, including economics, psychology, law, medicine, marketing, chemistry, at both public and private universities in the Dominican Republic: the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), Pontifica Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), Iberoamerican University (UNIBE) and the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC).

They will be received at Yale University by their student hosts, the Dominican Student Organization, Quisqueyalies.  Each participant has been matched with a Yale student based on mutual interests and study area, and the participants will be housed with that student and attend classes with them throughout the week.  Quisqueyalies have also planned a series of academic and social events designed to promote dialogue and exchange with other students and professors around topics of great importance.  These activities include: a meet and greet with author Junot Diaz, a panel discussion on Latinos in Higher Education, tours of both the Yale campus and the Peabody museum, a mixer with the Dominican Student Association and dinner with professor Alicia Schmidt Camacho.

The activity at Yale University is the inaugural event of the Global Dominican Academic Exchange program, which will organize a series of annual topic-specific events of short (maximum one week) duration in collaboration with the Dominican student organizations at a variety of United States universities.  InteRDom will work closely with student representatives to plan the activities, and then to recruit and bring students from Dominican universities to participate.  Hosting events with different thematic concentrations will ensure that diverse groups of Dominican students will have the opportunity to participate.

InteRDom, an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), is the premier internship, research and academic study program in the Dominican Republic. It offers international students the opportunity to research important topics at the forefront of the United Nations agenda, obtain professional experience by interning with Dominican organizations and businesses related to their fields of study and/or earn academic credits by taking courses and seminars at a local university.

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