Academic Partnership May Lead to Development of New Educational Facility on the Seine
New York University (NYU) and The American University of Paris (AUP) announced today an educational cooperative agreement that will allow students at both universities to attend and obtain degrees from either institution. It is contemplated that the partnership will move to the development of an educational facility on one of the most important development sites in the Paris area, Seguin Island.
Under the cooperative, which begins in the 2006-07 academic year, NYU and AUP will benefit from an exchange of students and faculty between the two institutions. Student exchange will include NYU students enrolling in courses at AUP for a semester or year. Likewise, AUP students will be able to participate in NYU’s Global Programs and attend classes for a spring semester in New York. Qualified students from either institution will be able to transfer to and obtain a degree from the other university. NYU has an existing program in Paris; established in 1969, it hosts some 200 students per year. The joint program with AUP will provide an opportunity for up to 250 additional NYU students to study in France each year.
NYU has a significant presence in global education. According to a study by the Institute of International Education (IIE), NYU sends more students to study abroad than any other American college or university. Currently, 25 percent of NYU undergraduates study abroad, and the University hopes to raise that figure to 50 percent. In addition, NYU’s Stern School of Business and School of Law currently have partnerships with institutions abroad, the former with the London School of Economics and HEC Paris, and the latter with the National University of Singapore. NYU also has one of the largest groups of international students of any U.S. college or university.
John Sexton, NYU’s president, said, “In a global world, one must have a global education. The pursuit of truth is a human endeavor, not a national one, and the key issues we face - the environment, peace, economic justice, the spread of freedom and democracy - are issues that will not confine themselves to one nation’s boundaries. American universities need to think strategically, to work together with other universities around the world to create programs that will ensure their students are successful in a global environment. This agreement with The American University of Paris is very much in that spirit. NYU is pleased to be entering into this new relationship with AUP.”
Gerardo della Paolera, AUP’s president, said, “We are equally pleased to be joining NYU in this effort because AUP has a forty-year history of Franco-American citizenship - with a unique blend of international faculty and student constituencies, and a liberal arts curriculum organized around global issues and ethical reflection upon them in multilingual and multicultural contexts. On the other hand, not only does NYU have a very strong undergraduate program based in Washington Square, it is also a major research university and the world leader in global education. The AUP/NYU cooperative will create a unique platform for the integration of global teaching and research in continental Europe.”
The two universities are working on plans to develop a major new educational facility in the Paris area. This development, which would be undertaken on an island in the Seine at the southwest edge of Paris, Ile Seguin, would entail the construction of an academic building with classroom space, office and meeting space for faculty and administrators, a library, cafeteria, and lounges which would be the future home of the partnership. The facility is part of an effort to transform Seguin Island into a nexus of arts and sciences on the Seine. Development plans - including the construction of art galleries and studios, scientific and recreational facilities, a hotel and restaurants, and health research centers - are currently under review by the French government.
EDITOR’S NOTE: New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America’s leading research universities and a member of the selective Association of American Universities. It is one of the largest private universities, and through its 14 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas. http://www.nyu.edu
Founded in 1962, The American University of Paris is the oldest American institution of higher learning in Europe. Its mission is to educate academic, social, political, intellectual, and business citizens of the world, and to enhance the advancement of scholarship in the arts and the sciences in an international, multicultural, and plural environment. Its campus is composed of six buildings centrally located in the seventh arrondissement of Paris, on the Left Bank, near the Eiffel Tower and the Seine. AUP’s 900 students represent approximately 100 nationalities. http://www.aup.edu