Secretaria de Relações Internacionais | Office of International Relations

Friday, 12 September 2025, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) received representatives from the Catholic University of Temuco (UCT) in Chile. UCT and UFSC currently have an agreement covering all areas of common interest and providing for exchange opportunities, signed in January 2024 and valid until January 2029. The agreement is coordinated at UFSC by Professor María del Carmen Cortizo, from the Department of Social Work, who also welcomed the UCT visitors.

The meeting took place at the Rector’s Office and was attended by UFSC Vice-Rector, Prof. Joana Célia dos Passos; Secretary for International Relations, Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho; Superintendent of Projects at the Prorectorate for Research and Innovation (PROPESQ), Prof. William Gerson Matias; and Dr. Vera Gasparetto, researcher in Gender Studies and member of the Institute of Gender Studies (IEG/UFSC). Representing UCT were Dr. Claudio Inostroza Blancheteau, Vice-Rector for Research and Graduate Studies, and Dr. Natalia Cárdenas Marín, Directir of the Center for Gender Studies.
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On 1 July 2025, the Office of International Relations (SINTER) at UFSC welcomed Prof. Luciano Rodrigues Marcelino, founder and Executive Secretary General of the Global Rectoral Board Community. He was received by the Director of International Relations, Dr. Fernanda Leal.

The institutional visit provided a valuable space for dialogue on strategic opportunities for international cooperation, academic innovation, and the institutional strengthening of UFSC through engagement with the Rectoral Board community. This global community brings together rectors, chief academic officers, and educational leaders in general, as well as representatives from university networks in 33 countries, committed to transforming higher education.

The meeting included a presentation of the strategic programs developed by Luces Latam Academy – The Corporate University of Higher Education, the executive education branch of the Global Rectoral Board Community. This program aims to support and strengthen the work of Latin American and Caribbean higher education institutions, particularly community and purpose-driven universities.

The visit also provided an opportunity to discuss best practices in university administration in Latin America and the Caribbean, in dialogue with UFSC’s management team.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

This post is available in Brazilian Portuguese only. Please access the website in Portuguese to read it.

On Monday, 5 May, the Director of International Relations, Fernanda Leal, welcomed at SINTER Dr. Guofang Wan, from Loyola University Chicago (LUC), United States. She was accompanied by Professor Rosane Silveira, from the Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Literatures (DLLE).

Dr. Wan is currently undertaking a four-month research stay at UFSC through the Fulbright Program, in partnership with Professor Rosane. As part of her activities at UFSC, she has conducted workshops on “Equal Education: Culturally Responsive Teaching”, held on 28 March and 11 April.

During the meeting, opportunities for academic cooperation between UFSC and LUC were explored.

From right to left: Prof. Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Prof. Susana Bleil, Prof. Daniel Ricardo Castelan, and Ana Carolina Franciosi Lucchetti, in charge of the Incoming Program at UFSC.

On 15 April, the Office of International Relations at UFSC welcomed Professor Dr. Susana Bleil, from Université Le Havre Normandie, France, and Professor Dr. Daniel Ricardo Castelan, Vice Dean of the School of Socio-Economic Sciences (CSE) at UFSC.

Professor Bleil teaches Portuguese and Brazilian Civilization at Université Le Havre Normandie. She is also an associate researcher at the Centre d’Études des Mouvements Sociaux (CEMS-EHESS) and a member of the Groupe de Recherche Identité et Cultures (GRIC). Her research focuses on the history of inequalities in Brazil, identity, culture, political transitions, and the sociology of collective action, employing methods such as interviews and direct observation.

Her visit at UFSC included a lecture and the promotion of her recent book MST: A Construção do Comum, based on her doctoral dissertation. During the meeting at SINTER, opportunities for academic cooperation between UFSC and Université Le Havre Normandie were discussed, particularly the undergraduate student exchange program. This semester, UFSC has received five students from the French university – one in the Law program and four in International Relations. This is the first time student exchanges have taken place between the two institutions.

Including the students from Université Le Havre Normandie, SINTER has welcomed a total of 29 students from French partner universities in the first semester of 2025. Altogether, UFSC has 75 international students enrolled in the Incoming Exchange Program this semester, representing a variety of countries.

To learn more about the Incoming Exchange Program, visit https://sinter.ufsc.br/intercambio-para-alunos-internacionais/.

On 10 April, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) welcomed a delegation from the Republic of Cameroon. The visit was facilitated by the Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon in Brazil and aimed to discuss possibilities for cooperation between Brazilian institutions and the City Hall of Bafoussam, a municipality in the western region of Cameroon.

The delegation was received by the Rector of UFSC, Irineu Manoel de Souza; the Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho; and the Head of the Rector’s Office, Bernardo Meyer.

Also attending the meeting were Paulin Martial Tchenzette, Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Cameroon in Brazil; Roger Tafam, Mayor of Bafoussam; Serge Fotso, Director of Financial Affairs at the City Hall of Bafoussam; and Municipal Councilors Elie Mba, Kongne Noelle, and Kamghang Rostang.

During the meeting, Mayor Tafam expressed interest in Brazilian education, emphasizing the city’s demographic profile – a population composed predominantly of young people. With over 1 million inhabitants, Bafoussam is the third-largest city in Cameroon.