Sovereign Bank, part of Banco Santander, has signed a three-year funding agreement with Princeton University to support international scholarly initiatives.
The gift from Sovereign Bank will support existing programs that enable Princeton faculty and students to engage in a variety of educational experiences with institutions and scholars from around the globe.
"If students wish to participate fully in today's rapidly globalizing world, they need to immerse themselves in the study of other cultures and societies," said Princeton Provost Christopher Eisgruber. "This gift supports Princeton's commitment to provide students with a global perspective and to create collaborative networks that connect students and faculty with peers throughout the world. I am delighted that the support of Sovereign Bank and Banco Santander will facilitate exchanges that will extend Princeton's scholarly energy and educational initiatives into a wide array of international venues."
Banco Santander Chairman Emilio Botín said "We are proud to announce our support for Princeton University for programs that will enrich the lives of students academically and culturally, providing a global perspective that will enable them to impact the world beyond their local communities." He added, "Fostering academic excellence through international collaboration, innovation, creative learning and research is a keystone of Santander's corporate social responsibility initiatives."
Effective immediately, the agreement will support:
- Princeton's Global Collaborative Networks, which are international scholarly networks between Princeton and centers of learning around the world. The program aims to build and sustain scholarly collaborations that promote career development in an international context for Princeton scholars at all levels. The program is administered by the Council for International Teaching and Research.
- Undergraduate student learning programs abroad administered through the Office of International Programs, which is Princeton's primary resource for undergraduates seeking to gain international experiences.
- Global Seminars, an initiative that provides undergraduates with an opportunity to study abroad in the country and city at the heart of the seminar's subject matter. Led by Princeton faculty and instructors from the host university and other local institutions, the program is administered by the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
- The Visiting Student Research Collaborators, a program providing visiting international graduate students with the opportunity to participate in faculty-supervised research at Princeton. The program is administered by the Graduate School.
"These initiatives allow Princeton students and scholars to connect and collaborate with their counterparts around the world," said Jeremy Adelman, director of Princeton's Council for International Teaching and Research. "Through this gift, Princeton will be able to host foreign scholars in our labs and seminar rooms, allowing us to work with emerging talent from other parts of the world. The support for Global Seminars will also enable us to expand this increasingly popular opportunity for Princeton students to expand their intellectual horizons on a global scale. More and more students and faculty are clamoring for precisely these kinds of opportunities, so we are grateful for Sovereign Bank 's vision and commitment to international learning."
Banco Santander, based in Madrid, Spain, is one of the world's largest banks. The gift to Princeton is supported by the company's Santander Universities Global Division, which through local affiliates such as Sovereign Bank has forged long-term partnerships with more than 900 universities around the world.
The gift, which supports Princeton's ongoing efforts to enhance its global presence, builds upon a series of international initiatives outlined by President Shirley M. Tilghman and Eisgruber in fall 2007.
