Pilot Program Brings Best Practices from California's NewSchool of Architecture and Design to Mexico's Universidad del Valle de Mexico

SAN DIEGO and QUERETARO, Mexico, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-eight students at Universidad del Valle de Mexico (UVM) in Queretaro, Mexico, completed a pilot program in architectural studies with NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) in San Diego. The program at UVM launches an effort to share NSAD's faculty expertise and curriculum best practices with students worldwide. NSAD and UVM are both members of the Laureate International Universities network.

Faculty from NSAD led courses on the UVM campus in digital modeling and rendering for building design, as well as a workshop on design and innovative presentation techniques. Students participating in the courses designed physical models, graphic presentations and videos, and they presented their projects in English during an awards ceremony held at the end of the program. Participants were awarded certificates of completion by representatives from both institutions and received credit toward their degree programs. The students, who came from five UVM campuses, are pursuing degrees in architecture, graphic design, industrial design and fashion design.

"This academic initiative fosters the internationalization of students and faculty, and harnesses the power of the Laureate network," said Dr. Steve Altman, president of NSAD. "These courses were developed with the support of university officials, administrators and faculty from NSAD and UVM. This kind of collaboration routinely takes place within the Laureate International Universities community, and we expect to build on this program to enhance educational opportunities for students."

"We are proud of the students who participated in the courses," said Dr. Carlos Enrique Gonzalez Negrete, academic vice rector for UVM and one of the initiators of the collaborative program. "The quality and caliber of the final presentations were remarkable and impressive."

Dr. Silvia Rivera, east central region rector for UVM, said, "We are pleased with the outcome of our collaboration with NSAD because it demonstrated our commitment to provide both challenging and rewarding educational opportunities that enrich our students' experience."

About NewSchool of Architecture and Design
NewSchool of Architecture and Design, founded in 1980, is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). ACICS is a national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. NewSchool offers bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Arts, a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, and a Master of Landscape Architecture. For more information, visit www.newschoolarch.edu.