Christie seeks educational links to Mexico

Gov. Christie signed a nonbinding agreement with Mexican officials on Thursday encouraging collaboration between New Jersey and Mexican colleges and universities.

The agreement calls for the governments of Mexico and New Jersey to encourage schools to participate in possible activities including organizing academic conferences, developing online programs, and creating fellowship opportunities.

The four-year agreement, which will be automatically renewed indefinitely for four-year terms, creates no obligations for either Mexico or New Jersey.

"This memorandum of understanding is intended to memorialize the participants' commitment to explore ways to promote collaboration between them, but this memorandum of understanding … does not create any legal or binding obligations between the participants," it reads.

Mexico was represented by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Education and National Council of Science and Technology.

Programs created as a result of the agreement will have their own "specific agreements of cooperation," the agreement stipulates.

Christie is visiting Mexico on a three-day trade mission his office describes as having three goals: "to promote increased relationship, job creation, and higher education opportunities." The higher education agreement signing ceremony, held at the Secretariat of Public Education in Mexico City, is the only higher education event listed on the trip's itinerary.

"This partnership will help solidify a vibrant exchange of academic, cultural, and professional ideas between New Jersey and Mexico," Christie said in a news release, "with an eye on workforce alignment, education and skills training, and research that is so vital to new innovations and economic development in each of our states."

The governor was joined on his trip by a 15-member trade delegation, which includes three current members of the Rutgers University Board of Governors: chairman Greg Brown, former chair Ralph Izzo, and Martín Perez.

All three are gubernatorial appointees to the Rutgers board. Brown and Perez were appointed by Christie, and Izzo by former Gov. Jon Corzine.