In March, during a trip to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the exchange, KU faculty, staff and alumni visited Irazú Volcano.
Tropical ties
The roots of KU’s 50-year-old Costa Rica Exchange Program may reach all the way back to 1893.
Costa Rican naturalist Anastasio Alfaro and KU professor Lewis Lindsay Dyche — a taxidermist and director of KU’s Natural History Museum — met in 1893 when each brought exhibits to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Their friendship eventually led to a collaborative relationship between their two museums.
In the 1930s and 1940s, KU and Costa Rican researchers in natural history, archaeology and museum studies built ties and shared research. In the mid-1940s, Costa Rican students began coming to KU. The Costa Rica Exchange Program was formalized in 1958 by agreement between KU and the University of Costa Rica. Since then, about 60 Costa Ricans have obtained graduate degrees through the program.
The exchange program carries out three main missions:
- sponsoring research collaborations between faculty members of the two schools
- helping Costa Rican students obtain graduate degrees at KU, then return to the University of Costa Rica as faculty members and administrators
- enabling undergraduates from KU and other universities to spend a semester in Costa Rica
Working together
Collaborative research is an essential part of the exchange program. The first collaborative projects ran from 1960 to 1966, funded by the Carnegie Foundation of New York. A total of 56 KU faculty members spent two summer sessions at the University of Costa Rica.
The latest in a long line of collaborative research projects began in 2007. These projects, conducted jointly by KU and UCR faculty researchers, provide rich insight into Costa Rica’s past, present and future. The research covers numerous aspects of Costa Rica, including anthropological history, environmental and sociological issues, and economics.
The program itself receives support from the Greater KU Fund, and participating faculty researchers receive KU Endowment funding for travel expenses and equipment purchases. This funding ultimately can serve as seed money to help gather basic data necessary to pursue long-term funding through outside sources.
Support the exchange
To support the Costa Rica Exchange Program, give to the Greater KU Fund and specify that your gift is for: 1) general support of the Costa Rica Exchange Program or 2) study abroad in Costa Rica. Or contact Jim Mechler.
Read the full story in the spring 2008 issue of KU Giving.