US: Universities pursue ties with schools in Mexico

The leaders of the nation's most prestigious universities are reaching out to their counterparts in Mexico, saying more partnerships between the two countries could help with some of the border's most intractable problems, reports Jeannie Kever for The Houston Chronicle.

The relationship was one of the topics discussed during a three-day meeting of the Association of American Universities, which concluded last week in Houston. The group, an invitation-only association representing 63 research universities, meets twice a year; the fall meeting was hosted by Rice University, one of just three members from Texas.

Many Texas universities already have relationships with schools in Mexico, but Rice University President David Leebron said the association could provide a framework for addressing the border's complexities. Relationships have been complicated by violence in northern Mexico, and a number of schools cancelled study-abroad programmes in Mexico last spring after the US State Department issued a travel warning for the border.
Full report on the Houston Chronicle site