Fresno State signed a collaboration agreement in September with the Chapingo Autonomous University, Mexico, that establishes the exchange of students, professors and research in the areas of agriculture and English.

President Barack Obama and President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico set up an agreement to collaborate and work together by opening up international student exchange programs, said Edgar Olivera, spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Fresno.

Chapingo Autonomous University is located in the city of Texcoco near the Mexican capital, Mexico City, and has been open for more than 150 years.

It specializes in green energy, agriculture and agricultural technology, said Olivera. Some of the university’s curricula include forestry, irrigation, agriculture economics and agriculture industries.

“Chapingo is very notable and is strong in its agriculture, very similar to us,” said Bill Erysian, manager of grants and international programs. The primary emphasis is to focus on agriculture.”

Overall, the program will send 100,000 students from Mexico to the U.S. and 50,000 U.S. students to Mexico, said Olivera.

“Now that the agreement has been signed, it’s time to put the program to work by finding connections with other universities to get involved in the student exchange,” said Olivera.

The collaboration between Chapingo and Fresno State will not only benefit both institutions, but both countries as well by allowing many internships, exchange and scholarship opportunities, said Mexican Consul Vicente Sanchez Ventura.

“We are grateful for Dr. [Joseph] Castro’s willingness to work with the Consulate of Mexico to better serve the ever-increasing number of Mexican students at Fresno State. The collaboration was a natural step,” said Ventura.