Bristol Community College and University of Cabo Verde explore prospects for cooperation

FALL RIVER — Officials from Bristol Community College and the University of Cabo Verde met on April 4 to explore opportunities for collaboration and exchange of knowledge and students between the two institutions.

Dr. Arlindo Barreto, the new rector of the University of Cabo Verde (UniCV), visited BCC’s Fall River campus with two of his staff members: Donzilia Soares, the director of the Dana Mohler Faria English Language School; and Erico Pinheiro Fortes, a Computer Science professor and president of the House of Science in Mindelo. They were accompanied by Angelo Barbosa, the director of the Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies at Bridgewater State University (BSU), which hosted the Cape Verdean delegation during their visit to Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“This is a very special trip that will certainly change the way we do things when we go back to the University of Cabo Verde,” Dr. Barreto said, speaking through an interpreter.

During the one-hour meeting held at BCC’s LusoCentro, Dr. Barreto noted how UniCV has made great strides in a wide spectrum of sectors, from humanities and social sciences to medicine and technology.

Established 17 years ago, the only public university in Cape Verde currently has nearly 4,250 students, scattered across five campuses on three islands.

“We are working very hard to grow our university,” he said. “We are determined to work hard, and we have a lot of energy. We want to work together with the community here to strengthen the connection between Cabo Verde and the communities here and the institutions here.”

BCC President Laura Douglas welcomed the idea with enthusiasm.

“I really would love to see if we can start exploring opportunities for exchange, whether it’s faculty, staff or students,” she said. “I always just say, ‘Let’s start something. Let’s start somewhere and see what can grow from there.”

Recalling her visit to the University of Cabo Verde about five years ago, Dr. Douglas said she had the opportunity to see the construction taking place at UniCV’s new campus.

“We had talked at that time about how a new campus perhaps would afford an opportunity for us to create some opportunities for exchange and partnership,” she said. “We would love to explore that now that there are resident halls. I know that was something not available until the new campus took place.”

Dr. Douglas said this collaboration with UniCV makes perfect sense because BCC already serves a great number of Cape Verdean families.

“Our Cape Verdean heritage is so prevalent in the fabric of who we are and what we do every day,” she told Barreto. “I would like to thank you for making us a stop in your journey.”

After giving an overview of BCC’s history, student enrollment and educational programs, Dr. Douglas noted that BCC as a member of the CONNECT Partnership, a consortium of six public higher education institutions in Southeastern Massachusetts, could perhaps help facilitate some other exchange opportunities.

“We have a lot of exciting things happening in Massachusetts. We are a strong network of public institutions,” she said. “All of the presidents of the institutions meet every month and every year we develop a new strategy to find ways to work together. This may be another opportunity for us to create some exchange opportunities… So, we can help facilitate some of that strategic work for you as well.”

In attendance at the meeting were also LusoCentro Director Carlos Almeida, BCC Dean of Arts and Humanities Jennifer Puniello, BCC Coordinator of Library Services Emily Brown and LusoCentro Board Member Odete Amarelo.

After the meeting, Barreto visited the collection of Cape Verdean books in the Lusofonia section of the college’s library, which is focused on Portuguese language and culture, and the Grimshaw-Gudewicz Art Gallery.

Barreto told O Jornal that he also had met with Brown University and BSU officials and leaders from some local Cape Verdean institutions and organizations.

“We came to the United States with the intention of doing concrete things because our intention is to take back what can be done and put it into practice,” he said.

Barreto said the next step will be to set up a team to explore what exchanges UniCV can pursue with each of these institutions and make sure they come to fruition.

“We have several areas in which we can establish partnerships and are of interest to us,” he said.

“Almost all the universities have people here who could contribute to the development of the University of Cabo Verde. We also have the possibility of working with the Cape Verdean community as we have several researchers here of Cape Verdean origin who would also like to collaborate with the University of Cabo Verde.”

LusoCentro to celebrate World Portuguese Language Day

LusoCentro will be celebrating World Portuguese Language Day on Thursday, May 2.

This year’s theme will revolve around the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, which brought down more than 40 years of dictatorship in Portugal and ended Europe’s longest authoritarian regime.

The free event will begin at 9 a.m. at BCC’s Jackson Arts Center Theater.

“We are expecting a full auditorium,” Dr. Almeida said. “About 500 high school students from area schools will be in attendance.”

Dr. Irene Amaral, the director of New Bedford’s Casa da Saudade Library, will be the master of ceremonies.

The program will include opening remarks from Dr. Douglas and Dr. Almeida as well as a presentation on the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) by the Consul of Portugal in New Bedford Tiago Sousa.

Their remarks will be followed by a presentation by students from B.M.C. Durfee High School.

The event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Duncan Simpson, a FLAD Visiting Professor in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown University. A research fellow at the Instituto de Ciências Sociais at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, he has concentrated his research on Salazar’s dictatorship.

The celebration will culminate with the performance of So Alma, a group of musicians from the Berklee College of Music in Boston who cross the culture of jazz, Portuguese and Brazilian music.

Portuguese and Brazilian traditional treats will be served.

The celebration is being sponsored in part by Camões Institute, Consulate of Portugal in New Bedford, Stop & Shop Supermarket, Portugalia Marketplace, and Bristol Area of Arts and Humanities.

For more information about the program, call 774-357-2091 or send an email to carlos.almeida@bristolcc.edu

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: BCC and University of Cabo Verde mull prospects of cooperation