The North American Alliance for Sustainable Water Resources focuses on the development of a program of study in the area of sustainable water resource management. The program will allow students from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to become knowledgeable in the area of cross-border water resource issues. Obtaining adequate supplies of water for present and future demand is one of the greatest environmental and economic issues facing the world today. The universities in this consortium were chosen not only for their diverse expertise in water resource management, but for their geographical diversity. The location of each university provides a different context with regard to climate, proximal water resources, and the local social and political dimensions of water resource management. This program trains students to think about water resources as a global problem.