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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University has signed an agreement with the Vietnam Education Foundation to begin a program that will bring top scholars from Vietnam to OSU for graduate training in science and technology.

The foundation was created by Congress to bring the U.S. and Vietnam closer through educational exchanges. More than 100 fellows are at 37 top graduate institutions in the U.S. - and all will return to Vietnam after completing their graduate degrees.

Governing the foundation is a board of directors whose members include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Treasury John Snow, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, and several university faculty and administrators, as well as other political leaders.

Sally Francis, dean of the Graduate School at Oregon State, said the initiative aligns with the university's goals of providing outstanding academic and research programs. OSU's graduate education focuses on optimizing enterprise, technological change, innovation, life sciences, and the health and well-being of populations and environments, she added.

"We see this as a unique opportunity to constructively shape the next generation of Vietnam's scientific and educational leaders, and to create a positive and meaningful bond between the U.S. and Vietnam," Francis said.

The first fellows from the Vietnam Education Foundation will come to campus this fall term, Francis added.

Kien Pham, executive director of the Vietnam Education Foundation, said the group was "delighted to have Oregon State University" in the program.

"The alliance is a select group of universities in the United States that share the (foundation's) mission," he said. "Together we will help transform science and technology in Vietnam, and in that process serve as enduring bridges between the two countries."