Harvard Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Cuba

By EDITH M. HERWITZ and SONIA KIM, CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
5 days ago

Harvard signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education Saturday to strengthen collaboration amid tense relations between the United States and Cuba under the Trump administration.

The memorandum is a formal document that promotes research partnerships through joint publications, academic conferences, and post-graduate training programs. Part of the agreement also encourages Cuban students to apply for admission to Harvard.

University Vice Provost for International Affairs Mark C. Elliott and Aurora Fernández, Cuba’s vice minister of higher education, officially signed the memorandum together in Havana last weekend. Several other Harvard representatives traveled with Elliott to Cuba for a ceremony held around the signing.

The new agreement comes after the White House announced additional sanctions on Cuban businesses and restrictions on travel to the country last month. Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has moved to reverse Obama-era policies intended to normalize relations with Cuba. The Obama administration restored diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2014, which had been severed in 1961 during the Cold War.

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http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/12/22/cuba-memorandum/