The eight students from the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste visit Western New Mexico University Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Isaac Brundage during the first week of their exchange program.Silver City, NM – For the next few weeks, Western New Mexico University is host to eight students from the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (UNNE) in Corrientes, Argentina.

This group is participating in a student exchange program financially supported by UNNE and by the United States Embassy in Argentina. Hosted in various academic departments and living in Mustang Village, the students will be at WNMU through Nov. 17, 2017.

From an aspiring botanist to a kinesiology major, the students have varied interests and academic focuses. Each is matched with a WNMU professor in the department most closely related to his or her field of study at UNNE, and each audits a few classes pertinent to his or her career goals.

"Several WNMU professors have enthusiastically supported this visit," program coordinator Imelda Olague said.

WNMU's College of Business is involved, as are the Humanities, Natural Sciences, Allied Health and Social Sciences/Cultural Studies departments.

Fifth-year law student at UNNE Belen Mattos Castañeda said, "All the classes I'm taking are very interesting. We have a completely different methodology in Argentina, but I honestly think the collaborative learning and research-based methods you have here are amazing. I'm more excited about exploring the area and getting to know people better."

Julia Moro Rossetti and Lucas Royo Simonella said the WNMU campus itself is bigger than theirs at UNNE. "The first impression of the university was that it had more buildings than our school. We also realized that there were very few students attending classes because many of them take online classes. Another thing we were surprised about is the kindness of the people who work at the university," Rossetti said.

Jessica Ivanna Gonzalez, who is studying business, also expressed a favorable first impression of WNMU and Silver City. Selected by her university as a participant in this exchange, she said, "I want to live the college life because, in Argentina, we don't have this type of living. I love the experience that I will take from this exchange. I feel awesome here."

Dr. Miguel A. Vicéns, Associate Dean of the School of Business and Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship, said visits from international students like these are vital to WNMU's School of Business. "We teach concepts and theories of a globalized business world. We also teach ethics and its variations in different parts of the world. The two students in my class provide us with different perspectives in practically every issue discussed. Their presence gives the local students exposure to cultures and traditions in other parts of the world. It allows us to apply the international concepts we teach in classes and helps students understand how business is done in other countries," Vicéns said. "If we want to internationalize WNMU's academic offerings, we need to expose our students to these international visits and interactions."

Phillip W. Schoenberg, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and English, said UNNE students are engaged with the material, participating in class discussions and even writing papers in his English Composition and Introduction to Philosophy classes. "I think their English language skills benefit significantly from the opportunity to explore ideas and practice college-level vocabulary in context."

He adds that, like college seniors, they bring a sense of maturity and experience to the classroom. "The sheer novelty of their presence also adds a great deal to the class dynamics. New people from another country in class increases interest and participation by our WNMU students as well," Schoenberg said. "Whether they are sharing their yerba mate with us or we are talking philosophy, they are a pleasure to have at WNMU."

Dr. Benjamin Jenkins, Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Services, said he is impressed by the UNNE students' depth of knowledge and eagerness to learn new things. "I would have to say, however, that my favorite part about having them here is sitting down and having máte with them in the afternoons. In their culture, this is an important ritual that allows one to slow down a bit and reconnect with colleagues, friends, family and community," he said.