InterAmerican U. invests $600K in educational project in Philadelphia
The InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico inaugurated the Inter Philadelphia Education Center (IPEC), a $600,000 project accredited to provide higher education, where students will be able to take courses in person, at a distance or in virtual classrooms, school officials said.
The IPEC educational center is in the Taller Puertorriqueño’s facilities, a community cultural organization located at 2600N 5th Street in Philadelphia.
It has computer rooms, faculty and administrative areas, a Learning Resource Center, and a reception area.
“The Inter will begin academic operations by offering the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education: Preschool Level, next January,” said Rafael Ramírez-Rivera, Interim president of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico.
The Center will be equipped with computers to provide a space for students to come together to establish learning communities.
In addition, students will have access to the InterAmerican University Library System, the virtual service of professional counseling and tutorials.
Taller Puertorriqueño is a renowned organization in Philadelphia that uses art to promote development within its community and the Latino diaspora and build bridges to the city.
Since its founding in 1974, the entity has elevated and preserved Puerto Rican and Latino culture through artistic and cultural programs and since 2016 has a more than 24,000-square-foot cultural center.
“Taller Puertorriqueño and the InterAmerican University are making history by opening our first combined efforts to provide high-quality education to the Puerto Rican diaspora and the expanded community in Philadelphia,” said Nasheli Ortiz-González, executive director of Taller Puertorriqueño.
“I welcome the InterAmerican University to El Barrio, and I look forward to serving our community, together, for a better present for a better future,” said Ortiz.
With the opening of this educational center, the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico now has three facilities outside of Puerto Rico: one in Orlando, FL and another in Panama, following its expansion and internationalization plan, college officials said.
Philadelphia is the second city in the United States with the highest number of Puerto Rican residents, estimated at 135,000. New York remains the city with the highest number of Puerto Ricans living there.
“Our presence in this city also allows us to strengthen collaborative ties with the Puerto Rican diaspora in favor of our brothers,” said Ramírez. “We predict that this space that we occupy today will become a center of convergence for our community.”
