Northwestern’s Cuba study abroad program will be awarded a State Department education initiative grant for its work in sending U.S. students to study in the Western Hemisphere.

It is the first program in Cuba to receive funding from the initiative.

Recognition for NU’s two study abroad programs in Cuba comes after a thaw in relations between the island nation and the United States. The NU programs will receive $25,000 total from the U.S. Department of State’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas fund. The State Department’s program was launched in 2011 with the intention of sending 100,000 U.S. students to study in the Western Hemisphere and the same number from Latin America to study in the United States by 2020. NU will also contribute almost $25,000 to bolster its programs.

“Higher education cooperation accompanied by warmer diplomatic ties is and will continue to be very attractive to students and faculty and undoubtedly will improve relations between the United States and Cuba,” said Dévora Grynspan, director of International Program Development, in a news release.

The University’s “Public Health in Cuba” program launched in 2010 through IPD, which also sends students to France, Israel and South Africa, among other locations. The “Cuba: Culture and Society” program examines Cuba through art, literature and film.

Almost twice as many students will go to Cuba this summer for the IPD programs as last year, with at least five faculty members also going.

Theater Prof. Henry Godinez, will help expand the culture and society program to theater in collaboration with Teatro Buendía, a Cuban theater company.

“Diversity is paramount,” Godinez said in the release. “We will now have the chance to engage our Cuba study abroad students not only in the expansion of their perspectives about the world in which we live, but actually create work together.”

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