In December 2022, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) visited several universities in Colombia. Over a four-day period, Professor Joel Ebarb (Executive Associate Dean), Professor Rich Dionne (Chair, Purdue Theatre) and Will Sartore (Director, Global and Experiential Learning) visited with five universities (Universidad de Caldas, Universidad de El Rosario, Universidad de El Bosque, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and Universidad de La Sabana). The purpose of this visit was to strengthen existing partnerships while actively exploring new collaborations in the country.  

In Manizales, CLA reconnected with Dr. Sergio Sierra Monsalve, Director of Caldas Performing Arts Department and collaborator from a past 100K Strong in Americas Grant. Together with Purdue Theatre, the group explored opportunities for faculty research and student mobility centered on the theories of movement and performance. In a recent reciprocal visit in March 2023, CLA hosted Dr. Sierra Monsalve for a visit to the West Lafayette campus where he hosted a series of workshops for Purdue Theatre 25 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Theatre faculty. 

In Bogotá, CLA met with representatives from Universidad del Rosario and, since that visit, are currently working on establishing departmental connections with the Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, as well as with Political Science.  In Chia, CLA met with faculty from the School of Communication from Universidad de La Sabana and discussions are currently underway for further collaborations between our institutions.  

On the whole, this visit aimed to reinvigorate CLA’s presence in Colombia and to start building new pathways for institutional collaboration. While the visit was relatively short in duration, it has created links within CLA’s different academic units for enhancing collaboration with our Colombian partners.