The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Fucape Business School in Brazil to work toward the exchange of students and faculty and to develop collaborative programs to benefit both institutions.
Dean Eli Jones of the Walton College and Dean Arilton Teixeira of the Fucape School signed the agreement of cooperation and exchange after it was drawn up between the University of Arkansas and Fundação Instituto Capixaba de Pesquisa em Contabilidade, Economia e Finanças (the Capixaba Foundation for Research in Accounting, Economics and Finance) in Vitoria, Brazil.
The document states the schools “establish a formal agreement of cooperation and friendship which is intended to further the academic objectives of each institution and to promote better understanding between the faculty and students of each institution.”
“The agreement with Fucape Business School establishes a framework for programmatic collaborations that will build on the strengths of both institutions,” Dean Jones said in a statement. “Our globalization strategy includes the emerging markets. Brazil is a growing, important part of the global economy, and the signing of this document further cements the Walton College’s commitment to being a leader in international business education and research. I appreciate the Walton College Global Engagement Office — particularly Amy Farmer and Joe Ziegler — for their work on forging the relationship with Fucape.”
The two schools will work to exchange information, students and faculty, in addition to developing collaborative programs, seminars and research activities.
Fucape Business School started 12 years ago and now has 1,700 students and offers four business majors: law, accounting, management and economics. Teixeira said that the management major at Fucape is an umbrella that also includes finance, marketing, human resources and supply chain management. Fucape is a top 10 college in Brazil.
“Brazil is a key emerging market and central to our college’s strategic initiatives,” said Amy Farmer, interim co-director of the Walton College’s office of global engagement. “We are excited to offer this opportunity to our students and faculty.”
Teixeira said there was the potential for Walton College students to learn Portuguese and to secure internships with companies in Brazil while studying at Fucape.