MSU Receives Academic License for Activities in Cuba
Michigan State University was granted an Institutional License for Academic
Activities in Cuba in November 2001, after fulfilling all the requirements
of the U.S. Department of Treasury. The license opens the door for MSU
faculty to continue to develop new research with significant student opportunities
in the region.
The approval was the culmination of a six-month effort coordinated by
Scott Whiteford and Manuel Chávez of MSU's Center for Latin American and
Caribbean Studies (CLACS). Working with MSU colleges and departments,
the dean of International Studies and Programs, and the MSU president's
office, they gathered information about planned MSU-Cuba initiatives and
completed the extensive paperwork for the "file of request."
United States regulations prohibit any U.S.-Cuba collaboration, travel,
and exchanges, without a proper federal license. With this newly granted
license, MSU faculty, staff, and students under the direct supervision
of a faculty member are allowed to travel to Cuba if their primary purpose
is academic in nature and related to formal MSU programs. Other travel
to Cuba, be it tourism, family-related, or even humanitarian, is not allowed
under the terms of the agreement.
Importantly, the license also allows Cuban scholars, practitioners, and
academics to visit the MSU campus for collaborative endeavors upon invitation
by MSU colleges and other academic units.
MSU's decision to request the academic license derived, in part, from
the number of faculty and staff who were implementing programs or doing
research in Cuba under another institution's license. Faculty and staff
from the School of Music, the MSU Libraries, and the Departments of Anthropology,
Resource Development, Agricultural Economics, Geography and Regional Planning,
and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences were already positioned
and in communication with Cuban institutions and scholars.
Currently, under the MSU license, there are three programs either fully
developed or in advanced planning stages: a library preservation project,
a study abroad program (see related story), and a collaborative project
of communications and journalism. In addition, the Latin Jazz Ensemble
in the MSU School of Music has been invited to participate in a jazz festival
in Cuba in December 2002, according to Francisco Mora, the group's faculty
leader.
CLACS has been designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of
Foreign Assets Control as the MSU entity responsible for issuing the documentation
required to engage in activities with Cuban institutions and individuals.
Since regulations are very explicit about the nature of academic relationships,
reasons for traveling, and authorization of activities in and with Cuba,
it is advisable that faculty contact CLACS before engaging in Cuba-related
program development.
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