SBS Mexico Initiatives Highlights Citizen Diplomacy in Tucson–San Luis Potosí Sister Cities Proclamation
From left: Lee Wong-Medina, deputy consul of Mexico in Tucson; Luis Coronado Guel, director of SBS-Mexico Initiatives; Fernando Sánchez-Roldán, consul of Mexico in Tucson; Tucson Mayor Regina Romero; and Enrique Galindo Ceballos, mayor of San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Last week, the University of Arizona hosted the 37th Annual State Conference Arizona Sister Cities 2025, where a new proclamation reaffirmed Tucson’s relationship with its sister city, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The event highlighted the university’s leadership in fostering cross-border collaboration and the work of SBS Mexico Initiatives, housed in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
SBS Mexico Initiatives, created to unify the university’s social and behavioral sciences collaborations with Mexico, plays a central role in advancing education, research, and cross-border community engagement.
“Through the SBS Mexico Initiatives, the University of Arizona continues to serve as a platform for dialogue and mutual learning, advancing shared prosperity, social understanding, and the role of the social sciences in addressing challenges that transcend borders,” said Luis Coronado Guel, director of SBS Mexico Initiatives.
The proclamation recognizes Tucson’s commitment to friendship and cooperation with its sister cities, highlighting how local communities practice citizen diplomacy through cultural exchange, partnership, and shared learning, while serving as a catalyst for ongoing engagement.
A major outcome of these partnerships is the Scott Whiteford SBS Mexico Initiatives Visiting Scholars Graduate Student Fund, created in collaboration with Tucson Mexico Sister Cities. The fund honors Professor Emeritus Scott Whiteford’s legacy and supports graduate students researching Mexico, the U.S.–Mexico border, and related themes — showing how community partnerships can grow into sustainable academic programs.
SBS Dean Lori Poloni-Staudinger
The proclamation also amplifies the university’s partnerships with the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), the Colegio de San Luis (COLSAN), and the San Luis Potosí Council of Science and Technology (COPOCYT), expanding opportunities for joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and binational cooperation in areas such as gender studies, border issues, environmental policy, and public affairs.
Through hosting the conference and the work of SBS Mexico Initiatives, the University of Arizona continues to demonstrate that diplomacy starts at the community level, with education and collaboration as frameworks that promote mutual understanding and collaboration between cultures.
Jeannine Relly, associate dean for faculty affairs and advancement at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, speaking on behalf of Dean Lori Poloni-Staudinger, said of the event, “This conference embodies exactly what the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences stands for — building bridges between communities, fostering cross-cultural understanding, and advancing collaboration that benefits both Arizona and our neighbors across borders.”
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