CSU-Monterey Bay is expanding its international reach.

The university signed an informal collaboration agreement with the University of Guadalajara's north campus on Monday. It will provide students and faculty the opportunity to participate in exchanges and online programs. It also leads the way for faculty from both schools to collaborate on research and publications.

"It's exciting. We like to refer to what we're trying to do as part of CSU-Monterey Bay's unfulfilled vision -- that a university should have a strong international component to it," said George Baldwin, director of the division of social, behavioral and global studies at CSUMB.

Diane Cordero de Noriega, CSUMB's provost and vice president for academic affairs, signed the agreement Monday with visiting representatives from the university in Guadalajara. She called the agreement an informal starting point toward building a stronger relationship between the two institutions. The two campuses have a lot in common, she said. Both are small institutions and share the goal of serving under-represented students.

Mario Ruiz Ortega, coordinator of academic affairs and publications at the University of Guadalajara's north campus, said this is the beginning of a partnership between the two universities and he hopes it will continue for many years.

Juan Gutierrez, CSUMB's co-director of the Institute for Mexican and U.S.-Mexican studies, said the University of Guadalajara's north campus is part of a larger system that serves about 181,000 students throughout Mexico. Gutierrez's institute sponsored the visit and already has a long standing relationship with the University of Querétaro in Mexico.

Gutierrez said he believes the agreement benefits both schools.

"This came about as a very good opportunity for collaboration," he said.

Alfonso Lozano, learning technologies coordinator at the University of Guadalajara's north campus, said the collaboration between the universities started with the first of what the schools hope will be many joint academic publications.

Gutierrez said CSUMB hopes to send a delegation to visit the school in Guadalajara later this year.

Barbara Mossberg, CSUMB's dean of the college of arts, humanities and social sciences, said one of the university's goals is to offer more opportunities for global education and the school will continue to work toward fulfilling that goal.