New Cohort of Brazilian Students Expected in Fall 2018

NJCU is poised to welcome up to 175 students from Brazil during the 2018-19 academic year following the successful start this past December of the Goiás Without Borders program.

“Some of these students will join NJCU as degree-seeking, international students in Fall 2018. The program’s success has received much attention in the entire country of Brazil and other states, like Brasilia, are now interested in sending students to the University,” said NJCU President Sue Henderson of Goiás Without Borders, also known in Portuguese as Goiás Sem Fronteiras.

“And we will welcome them all with open arms, a rigorous curriculum, and the tools they will need to succeed at leading prosperous and meaningful lives,” the President added.  

NJCU initially hosted 125 students from Goiás, a Brazilian state, in late 2017 for a four-week, intensive English, global leadership, and cultural immersion experience.

“These students each proved to be among the best and the brightest students,” Dr. Henderson said of the first cohort. “Based on a rigorous examination the students all sat for when they first applied to the program, they were selected from among 3,000 of their peers to take part in Goiás Without Borders. Their academic prowess and high motivation made them the perfect candidates for this challenging endeavor.”

In addition to honing their English and leadership skills, the students visited such destinations as the NJCU School of Business on the Jersey City waterfront, the September 11 Memorial, the United Nations, and the Liberty Science Center. The students were also on hand to give enthusiastic support to the men’s basketball team during a milestone win at the beginning of the 2017-2018 season.

The state of Goiás selected the University in summer 2017 as the program host from more than 20 institutions that included George Washington University, College of Staten Island, and West Chester University, all of which submitted proposals through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

“NJCU is now the model institution for this program,” said Tamara Cunningham, Assistant Vice President for Global Initiatives at the University.

A delegation of NJCU representatives that included Cunningham and Joao Sedycias, Dean of the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences, traveled to Brazil in January to attend a graduation held in honor of the first cohort of Brazilian students. The ceremony took place at Pontifical Catholic University, in Goiana, and was also attended by the Canadian ambassador in Brazil, Ricardo Savone, and other state authorities.

“While in Brazil, we were asked to meet with ambassadors from the Canadian Embassy in Brasilia to share our insights and expertise on the planning and execution of the GSF Program at NJCU,” Cunningham said. “The ambassadors were quite impressed with our University’s ability to host 125 students within a short window of planning time.

We told them that, simply put, teamwork made the dream work!”