<img border="0" vspace="5" width="486" alt="" src="$224956" class="" height="530"> In February, Loyola partnered with the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training to establish a University representative office in Ho Chi Minh City. The partnership makes Loyola the first university in the nation to have a location in Vietnam. Through the office, Loyola will work in three critical areas of need: English as a Second Language (ESL) education for health care professionals, leadership programs for Vietnamese professionals and administrators, and study-abroad programs for U.S. students. Details and timing of the ESL and leadership programs are still being determined. The study-abroad program will commence this summer. The partnership between Loyola and the ministry office began in the summer of 2007, when Loyola President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., and representatives of the University were invited by the deputy prime minister of Vietnam to meet with the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training to discuss how Loyola could share its expertise with Vietnam by sponsoring specific courses. Subsequently, Loyola appointed a young Vietnamese graduate of Loyola, Joseph Dao, to represent the University in Vietnam. "These Vietnamese projects, both academic and service, offer a promising set of new opportunities for both Loyola and Vietnamese students," says Patrick Boyle, PhD, associate provost. "Our hope is that Loyola can provide leadership and academic programs that help the Vietnamese and their higher education sector better serve the needs of the country."   MAY 2009 " src="http://cms01/servlet/images/cmcodeasp.gif" oncontrolselect="window.event.returnValue = false;">nofile has been found" src="http://cms01/servlet/images/cmcodeasp.gif" oncontrolselect="window.event.returnValue = false;">