7:25 p.m., Oct. 21, 2007--University of Delaware President Patrick Harker is part of a Delaware delegation led by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner on a trade mission to Chile this week.

The delegation is meeting with Chilean government officials, key business partners and the board of directors from the American Chamber of Commerce Chile.

During the visit, Harker will be signing an agreement between UD and the Universidad Mayor Campus Huechuraba, designed to promote future collaborations between the two institutions, including faculty and student exchanges and research collaborations.

After the trip to Chile, Harker will be traveling to China, where he will meet with offiicials at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Beijing Normal University. He also will visit the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) in Chengdu. In August, UD and SWUFE signed a cooperative agreement that calls for the establishment of study abroad programs and student/faculty exchange initiatives between the two institutions.