Yes, you read that correctly.

Alabama.com reports:

Auburn University signs pact with Cuba: Why it matters to Alabama

Beyond the headlines of new diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Auburn University is put that diplomacy into action.

The school has signed an academic exchange pact with Agrarian University of Havana and the Cuban National Center for Animal and Plant Health.

What does that mean? A lot, according to Henry Fadamiro, College of Agriculture assistant dean and Office of Global Programs director, signed the treaty on behalf of the college and Auburn in Cuba on May 21:

Auburn faculty and agricultural students will be able to study on the island nation 90 miles south of Key West – saving the expense of traveling to Africa or Asia — while Cuban faculty and students can study at Auburn.
The schools will have a pathway to exchange agricultural techniques and ideas.
It could lead to strong economic relationships between Cuba and the state of Alabama, Fadamiro said. Auburn is the first U.S. university to establish an agricultural-based relationship with a university in Cuba.
“It’s a mutual benefit,” he said. “It’s really special not only to us but to Cuba.”

Auburn officials have been invited to return to Cuba in September for a “brainstorming” session on how to get the most out of the new relationship, Fadamiro said.