KINGSTON, R.I. — October 24, 2005 — The University of Rhode Island and the Université Laval in Quebec, Canada officially announced a student exchange agreement between the two institutions.

The announcement was made during Quebec’s Minister of International Relations Madame Monique Gagnon Tremblay’s visit to the URI’s Kingston campus on Oct. 14. France Dionne, head of the Quebec Delegation in Boston and Diane Lachapelle, vice president for development and international relations at Université Laval and other Quebec officials accompanied Tremblay. After meeting with URI President Robert L. Carothers and other URI administrators and faculty members, the assembly participated in a live videoconference between URI and Université Laval.

The reciprocal agreement allows undergraduate and master-level students from each institution to earn academic credit for courses taken at the partner institution, starting next academic year.

“This is a great opportunity for both universities to share expertise and to work together on a wide range of undertakings in engineering, business, and the humanities,” says Lars Erickson, professor of French and director of the French branch of the International Engineering Program at URI.

Located in the heart of Quebec’s historic capital city, Université Laval is one of Canada’s leading universities. Among the top 10 Canadian universities in terms of research, it received more than $230-million dollars last year in external funds for research and international cooperation. The université offers more than 350 programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and attracts more than 2,000 international students.

During the past six years, the undergraduate French program at URI has become one of the largest language programs in the country. With only 30 students enrolled in the major in 1999, the number of students has grown to 108.

French students have a chance to study in various countries, including France, Morocco, Senegal, Belgium, and now Canada.

Pictured above:

Bahram Nassersharif, dean of the University of Rhode Island College of Engineering says hello to France Dionne, head of the Quebec delegation in Boston. URI News Bureau Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.