Sovereign Bank and Santander Universities Announce Agreement with Boston University that Supports Global Health Studies

BOSTON, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston University has signed an agreement with Sovereign Bank, a part of Banco Santander, that will provide academic scholarships in the University's School of Public Health and establish a new undergraduate Spanish language and cultural community program.  Sovereign Bank will provide support through Santander Universities, a major initiative through Banco Santander in support of higher education and the expansion of knowledge and experience throughout the world.

"We are proud to announce our first partnership with Boston University in support of student scholarships that will further advance higher education and international collaboration – components that are crucial to Santander Universities and its mission," said Banco Santander Chairman Emilio Botin. "This innovative agreement also establishes a new undergraduate program that connects students with the Greater Boston community by strengthening Spanish and cultural ties."

"We are grateful to Sovereign Bank and Banco Santander for the generous support for two very promising initiatives--one in global health and one in language and literature," said Boston University President Dr. Robert A. Brown.  "They are making it possible for us to provide scholarship support for students in the School of Public Health who will do their field practica overseas.  And this support is enabling our outreach to the Latino community in the greater Boston area through language and cultural programs.  Through its Santander Universities consortium, Sovereign and Santander have made an extraordinary commitment to strengthening international higher education."

Through the new undergraduate Spanish Language and Cultural Program, named "The Hispanic Voices Program," undergraduate curriculum will now include a unique community service course that enables students to introduce Spanish-language theatre into Boston-area high schools.  The Hispanic Voices Program also includes the renovation of "Casa Hispanica" (Spanish House), a center that will provide a place for students to interact with the Greater Boston community through:

• Spanish language and culture courses offered to community groups in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.
• A series of cultural events sponsored by the Department of Romance Studies for the Hispanic Community at Boston University.

In addition, the agreement will provide scholarships for students enrolled at the Boston University School of Public Health for overseas study via the school's Center for Global Health and Development, further enhancing the University's growing commitment to global health initiatives. The agreement includes:

• Scholarships to ten low to moderate income undergraduate students in support of their studies.
• Scholarships to ten Latin American Students to pursue their field of interest.
• A special fund to help support up to twenty-five students to participate in BU's Kenya Field Practice Program.

About Boston University

Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. BU consists of 17 colleges and schools along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes which are central to the school's research and teaching mission.

About Santander Universities

Banco Santander's commitment to progress finds its expression in the Santander Universities Global Division, whose activities through local affiliates such as Sovereign Bank form the backbone of the bank's social action and enable it to maintain a stable alliance with the academic world.  Santander has forged long-term partnerships with 900 universities in Latin America, China, USA, Spain, Morocco, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the Russia. 

Santander Universities Global Division is the channel through which Banco Santander supports the higher education sector in these countries in such areas as teaching and research, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student mobility and innovation.

Santander Universities initiatives include:

• the granting of over 14,000 scholarships a year to promote study, research and initial professional work experience and bursaries to facilitate student and staff mobility between universities in the network.
• the issue of almost four million university smart cards in more than 200 universities, with a high level of functional and financial features for teachers and students support for two major global projects: the 'Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library' (www.cervantesvirtual.com), the largest of its kind for Hispanic works; and Universia (www.universia.net), the biggest university co-operation network in the world, that includes 1,169 universities in 23 countries.
• Second International Meeting of Universia Presidents held in Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 31 – June 1, 2010. More than 1,000 universities attended the meeting.

About Sovereign Bank and Banco Santander

Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial bank, headquartered in Spain. Founded in 1857, Santander has more than 92 million customers, approximately 14,000 branches – more than any other international bank – and 170,000 employees. It is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America, with leading positions in the United Kingdom and Portugal and a broad presence in Europe through its Santander Consumer Finance arm.  For more information on Santander, visit http://www.santander.com

Sovereign Bank, a subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A., is a financial institution with principal markets in the northeastern United States. Sovereign has more than 700 branches, over 2,300 ATMs and approximately 8,000 team members. For more information on Sovereign Bank, visit http://www.sovereignbank.com or call 877-SOV-BANK.

SOURCE Sovereign Bank

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED