U.S. - Middle East University Partnerships Program

Date Issued: April 27, 2006
Closing Date: June 30, 2006

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State, are issuing a request for applications for the U.S.-Middle East University Partnerships Program.

HED will conduct a peer-reviewed competition to award up to four (4) grants of up to $300,000 each over a three-year period, contingent on funding, to implement cooperative partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and Arab universities.

1. Background

The U.S. State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative provides tangible support to reformers in the region so democracy can spread, education can thrive, economies can grow, and women can be empowered. The U.S. has devoted more than $293 million in four years to support reform through the Middle East Partnership Initiative, in addition to other significant U.S. investments in the region. For more information on MEPI, click here.

Higher Education for Development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement in September 2005 to the American Council on Education (ACE), with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC). The agreement (AEG-A-00-05-00007-00) is sponsored by USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education, and administered by the Higher Education for Development (HED) office.

USAID’s historic partnership and collaboration with the higher education community has repeatedly demonstrated that institutions of higher education are important engines of development, economic growth, good governance, and healthy societies. The community’s contributions in the areas of training, applied research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and program implementation have been critical to USAID’s portfolio. USAID has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID, click here.

2. The U.S. - Middle East University Partnerships Program

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and USAID, HED began to administer the United States - Middle East University Partnerships Program between U.S. and Arab universities in May 2003. In 2006, MEPI, USAID and HED continue their partnership in supporting U.S. academic institutions as they engage with higher education institutions in Arab countries to:

• strengthen their respective capacities for conducting the educational missions of teaching, research and service to address reform priorities, including the improvement of primary/secondary and higher education;

• contribute to the preparation of a responsible citizenry actively engaged in local, national and world communities;

• ssist in the building of a skilled workforce;

• collaboratively address an array of complex economic, social, educational, and reform issues and challenges; and

• disseminate information and share results of development cooperation both abroad and in the United States.

Specifically, through the U. S. - Middle East University Partnerships Program, MEPI seeks results in Arab countries that:

• expand access to primary/secondary and postsecondary education for all people, especially women and girls and out-of-school youth, to enable them to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today’s economy and improve the quality of their lives and that of their families;

• encourage communication and cooperation between secondary and postsecondary school systems/institutions in order to promote readiness at the secondary school level for potential postsecondary students;

• improve the quality of faculty instruction, independent student research, and instructional materials and graduate resources available at universities;

• expand universities’ capacity to offer courses in the disciplines listed in this RFA;

• enhance universities’ administrative and managerial capacity and their ability to engage in cooperative ventures with partner stakeholders (ministries, NGOs, private businesses);

• expand upon partnerships between U.S. and Arab universities through the enhancement of relationships with private sector and civil society organizations; and

• increase private and public sector employment of Arab postsecondary graduates.

MEPI is seeking:

• results through educational practices that cultivate critical, creative and independent thought, and civic engagement and social responsibility;

• Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing a combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and nonpolitical processes.

• interdisciplinary broad-based partnerships among Arab and U.S. universities, public and private entities, including ministries of education and higher education, and civic society partners that build effective local educational coalitions and alliances;

• sustainable partnerships and bridge-building across academic and administrative units, throughout and among communities, and/or across the nation and the world; and

• opportunities for university students, especially women and girls, to build lifelong learning and skills development that enable the students to engage in active service in their communities and nation.

3. 2006 Request for Applications (RFA)

Eligible Countries
Building on Previous Activities
Disciplines

Applications submitted under this RFA must address the following key MEPI education characteristics of excellence in education:

• fostering critical thinking and inquiry learning; and

• the promotion of community-in-the-schools and schools-in-the-community

In addition, proposals should address at least two or more of the following key characteristics:

• curriculum development relevant to the nation’s needs;

• teacher professional development resulting in innovative teaching practices designed to motivate students at the primary, secondary, and/or postsecondary levels;

• administrator professional development (management and leadership) supporting innovative teaching and learning practices in the school, in the university, and/or in the ministry of education; and

• innovative use of technology for teaching and learning.

Eligible Countries

Single Arab country-US partnership or multiple Arab country-US partnership applications are welcomed.

Applications will be considered for any of the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Applications for partnership in any of the eligible countries are welcome. Of particular interest are partnerships in the following countries: Libya, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Bahrain.

Building on Previous Activities

In order to capitalize on success to date, MEPI is interested in applications that build upon previous and/or existing U.S.-Middle East University Partnerships. For example, click here. This is not, however, considered a requirement for application.

Applications that consider and expand upon the work already undertaken by previously awarded partnerships should include additional U.S. and Arab universities as partners and/or additional departments/faculties of current U.S. and Arab partners. Such applications are also strengthened by an interdisciplinary focus in proposed activities. Click here for information on the 2002-2005 MEPI award partnerships.

Disciplines

Applications for higher education partnerships must demonstrate the ability to strengthen Arab universities’ capacities in one of the following disciplines:

(1) Business Administration and Economics;
(2) Government;
(3) Legal Studies;
(4) Teacher/Educator Professional Development; and
(5) Journalism and Media.

Business Administration and Economics: Applications should focus on Arab universities' missions of preparing students, especially women and girls, to succeed in the public or private sector marketplaces and contribute their entrepreneurial talent in ways beneficial to economic growth. The goal of this discipline is to create new or enhance existing academic degree programs in business administration and economics.

Applications must address one or more of the following:

• Creation or enhancement of a program that bridges theory and practice by developing theoretical insights that are grounded in—and relevant to—practice in NGOs and business enterprises. Core areas of focus include effective leadership, accountability, management, strategic planning, business plans, capacity building, social and organizational learning, and collaborative governance structures and processes. The roles of civil society organizations, foundations, public agencies and global multilateral institutions could also be explored.

• Creation of a career education center that provides opportunities for university students to choose careers and that offers:
  
  o One-on-one sessions designed to provide career counseling (explore skills and interests and match them to careers) and employment advising (including strategies for finding and applying for job opportunities and learning how to find and receive assistance in obtaining internships nationally and internationally);
  
  o Events to help students to learn more about specific careers (spotlights, panels, information sessions, job fairs);
  
  o Career skill-building classes to help students learn/improve professional skills (typing, computer software expertise, professional work ethics, speaking and listening skills, teamwork strategies, negotiation skills, leadership development, etc.) and job-hunting skills (interviewing, résumé writing, etc.); and
  
  o Mentorship and job shadowing opportunities.

Government: Applications should strengthen Arab universities' capacities to create or expand academic degree programs, encourage scholarly research, and/or develop practical expertise in the areas of: government; principles of democracy; political institutions; systems of governance; political philosophies; and, the rule of law. The aim is to ensure that those entering government careers and other professions related to governance possess the conceptual and practical knowledge and analytic tools needed to perform effectively.

Applications should include components that:

• create new or enhance existing academic degree programs;

• increase the enrollment of women in government related degree programs;

• provide internship opportunities that give students practical experience in their area(s) of professional interest; and

• create or enhance programs for those who seek a deeper understanding of democracy and processes of democratic change. This would be a program of special interest for those seeking to develop careers in a wide range of professional and academic settings in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Legal Studies: Applications should address Arab universities' capacity to enhance existing curriculum, create or expand academic degree programs, and provide practical experience in legal education in such areas as: constitutional, economic, international, corporate, media, human rights law; women’s issues; and/or criminal justice through a program that emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach.

For example, a criminal justice program should aim to achieve an understanding of crime, the nature of law and social control, the organization and management of criminal justice agencies, and the use of research and evaluation for planned change in criminal justice using material from the fields of sociology, political science, and psychology.

Programs that utilize a practicum approach that enables students to participate in their communities as active citizens, through government and public interest sector internship programs, including parliaments, are encouraged.

Teacher/Educator Professional Development: Applications should propose activities that create new or enhance existing academic degree programs in collaboration with the appropriate ministries of education/higher education to build the capacity and improve the quality of teacher/educator training colleges and institutions.

Applications for partnering in this area should address one or more of the following areas of need:

• civic education;

• special education;

• teaching English as a second language;

• principal as educational leader;

• pre-service teacher training and certification;

• in-service teacher training;

• teaching through use of the inquiry methodology (cooperative learning, etc.);

• pedagogy skill-building between teachers and supervisors; and

• academic service learning/community service.

Applications that address the need to provide students practical classroom experience and support to earn credit toward teaching certification prior to graduation are encouraged.

Journalism and Media: Applications should address Arab universities' capacities to enhance existing curriculum, create or expand academic degree programs, and/or develop practical experience in areas that promote professional journalism.
Program elements could include:

• promotion of fact-based and balanced media;

• public service-oriented programming;

• objective, locally-oriented content development;

• discussion of topics important to the journalistic field, including subjectivity versus objectivity, the ethics of civic journalism, freedom of the press, etc.;

• writing-intensive courses in journalism departments and throughout the university;

• best practices workshops throughout university faculties to help instructors incorporate writing assignments and instruction into their courses. Sessions could include discussion of such writing pedagogy aspects as: creating effective informal and formal writing assignments; facilitating successful peer workshops; responding constructively to student writing; connecting writing to learning; and, preventing plagiarism; and

• internship opportunities for students.

4. Application Format, Submission and Review

Application Format
How to Submit and Application
Peer Review
Application Review Guidelines

Application Format

Use the Application Checklist to ensure you have included all necessary elements.

Please provide the contents of the application in the following order:

1. Title Page (Please complete HED form in full and obtain signatures of authorized officials.)

2. Table of Contents

3. Abstract (not to exceed 3 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins). The abstract should contain a summary of the narrative, workplan and budget.

4. Narrative (not to exceed 20 typed, double-spaced pages, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) Address the criteria listed in Application Review Guidelines I-V (see below).

5. Appendices (Attachments beyond the stated appendices will not be read nor taken into consideration):

• Annual workplan for the funding period (use HED form).

• Summary and annual budgets (4 forms only, use HED form).

• Budget detail (use HED form).

• Résumés of each of the proposed U.S. and overseas institution director(s) and other expert personnel, not to exceed 2 one-sided pages per person.

• Signed letters of support from the presidents, chancellors, or other chief executive officers of the cooperating institutions in the United States and overseas, in addition to a signed letter from the proposed U.S. partnership director, and letters of support from other participating organizations.

• Signed letter from appropriate official at applicant institution verifying that all costs cited conform to established institutional policies and practices.

How to Submit an Application

Applications must be received at HED by 5:00PM, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), June 30, 2006. Faxed or electronically transmitted applications will not be accepted. All elements of the application must be received by the deadline. Faxed copies of the application title page and letters that include all necessary signatures may be used as a placeholder in the application, provided signed originals are received at HED within seven (7) calendar days of the deadline.

NOTE: HED has a new mailing address. Applications should be sent to:

2006 Request for Applications: MEPI
Higher Education for Development
1331 H Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20005

Applicants should submit the original application plus seven (7) hard copies of the complete application package containing title page, abstract, table of contents, narrative, and appendices (all on loose-leaf paper, clipped together — no three-ring binders, staples, or plastic bindings), and a diskette or CD (with files saved as Microsoft Word/Excel for PC) containing the entire application, including all budget forms, budget narrative, and other appendices.

MEPI and USAID program representatives may share abstracts with U.S. Embassy and USAID Mission officials for opinion in advance of the peer review process. One additional copy of the abstract should be attached separately.

Once an application has been received, there is to be no contact with the HED program office until the completion of the peer review process in order to ensure fairness to all parties concerned.

Peer Review

Applications will be reviewed by panels comprised of higher education and international development experts and a representative of MEPI. Awards will be made on the basis of reviewers’ recommendations of merit and MEPI concurrence. Peer review of applications is slated for July 2006.

Letters of communication from members of the U.S. Congress in support of an application are discouraged as these may be thought to prejudice the peer-review process. Such letters will not be forwarded to peer reviewers.

Notification about awards is expected following the completion of peer review. Upon final announcement of awards, the person named in the application as partnership director may submit a written request for copies of the peer reviewers’ scores for the application. No personal reviews will be granted, and no comparative score tabulations will be shared.

Application Review Guidelines

Peer reviewers will use the following criteria to evaluate the applications:

I. Educational Need and MEPI Goals (30 points)

• Compelling and clearly defined need for enhanced quality of education in one or more countries in the Middle East — in particular, need for creation, expansion or enhancement of existing academic degree programs within one of the disciplines specified in the RFA;

• Alignment with existing partnerships; and

• Potential to contribute to achievement of MEPI’s education objective to expand Arab economic, political and educational opportunity, especially for women and girls.

II. Project Design and Potential Results of the Partnership (25 points)

• Strength, appropriateness and feasibility of the partnership design;

• Quality of the proposed new or enhanced academic (degree) program in the identified discipline;

• Quality of the implementation plan and timetable, and likelihood of achieving demonstrable milestones;

• Fit with existing strengths and mutual interests of the partnering institutions and degree of collaboration in implementing activities; and

• Experience and qualifications of the individuals responsible for managing the partnership.

III. Sustainability (25 points)

• Extent of institutional commitment (engagement of faculty, students, and/or administrators) among all partners, in the U.S. and overseas;

• Cost sharing, including expected cash or in-kind contributions from all partners, and “other contributions” from overseas partners as indicators of cost-effectiveness;

• Quality of plans for partnership sustainability beyond the period of the award;

• Extent to which the application provides for cultural and professional exchange between students, faculty and administrators; and

• Extent of relationship building with private sector and civil society partners (other higher education institutions, businesses, NGOs, community organizations, and/or other public/private agencies).

IV. Plan for Monitoring, Reporting and Assessment (10 points)

• Concise and thorough baseline description of the overseas institution’s current capacity to meet identified development needs;

• A clear monitoring plan that describes activity progress;

• Quality of plan for evaluation to measure performance outcomes/impact;

• Evidence of a report procedure for recipients of training or professional development that describes how they will use new skills when they return to their home institutions; and

• Evidence of a mechanism to assess the effectiveness of partnership activities.

V. Budget (10 points)

• Appropriateness and adequacy of the budget and budget narrative; and

• Correlation between the budget and proposed partnership activities.

Total Points: 100 points

6. Terms of the Solicitation

Eligibility
Cost Share Requirements
Execution of Awards
Annual HED Conference
TraiNet Requirements
Health and Accident Insurance
Reporting

HED will conduct a peer-reviewed competition to award up to four (4) grants of up to $300,000 each over a three-year period, contingent on funding, to implement cooperative partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and Arab universities located in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, the West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen. Successful applications will be characterized by the scope of the collaboration and the significance of the educational development results to be achieved.

There is no set number of awards for any of the countries or disciplines listed in this RFA.

Eligibility

HED welcomes applications from the member institutions of ACE, AACC, AASCU, AAU, NAICU, and NASULGC, and from other regionally accredited, degree granting, U.S. higher education institutions. U.S. colleges and universities may apply individually, or in partnership with other institutions that are committed to creating institutional partnership programs between U.S. and Arab institutions of higher learning. HED encourages applications from or with the participation of minority-serving institutions.

MEPI and HED encourage applications from institutions that seek to forge new partnerships, as well as applications to expand existing informal and formal linkages with Arab universities.

Cost Share Requirement

The minimum expected total cost share from all U.S. partners is 25 percent of the requested award amount. Reported cost share must be auditable. Non-auditable contributions may not be used to meet the minimum, but can be indicated separately and attached to the budget detail form. Both the quality and the quantity of cost sharing and other contributions proposed in the application will be taken into account by the peer reviewers.

Partnerships among higher education institutions with private sector partners are encouraged. Applicants should itemize all cost sharing, including waivers of tuition and other academic costs, faculty release time, stipends, professional development funds, internship value, travel, supplies, equipment, other direct costs, indirect costs, etc.

Cash and in-kind contributions will be accepted as part of the applicant’s cost sharing when such contributions are: (a) verifiable from the applicant’s records; (b) not included as contributions for any other federally-assisted program; (c) reasonable for the accomplishment of partnership objectives; and (d) not paid by the federal government under another grant.

In-kind contributions may include, but are not limited to: waivers of tuition and fees for Arab students participating in academic exchanges; donation of library and classroom materials to the Arab partner; ICT infrastructure and Internet Service Provider subscription subsidy for the Arab partner and exchange students; faculty salaries; travel and/or per diem for Arab faculty and administrators to participate in professional exchange and development programs; provision of internships for Arab students hosted by the U.S. partner(s) and American students hosted by the Arab partner(s); and, indirect costs. Contributions not meeting the terms of “cost share” should be indicated in a separate statement of contributions, especially those of the overseas partner institution.

Execution of Awards

The awards will be executed as subagreements between the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, and the American Council on Education (ACE), through the Higher Education for Development (HED) office, under USAID Cooperative Agreement AEG-A-00-05-00007-00. Institutions recommended for awards will receive a draft version of the subagreements to review. Awardees will be expected to submit a marking plan as part of the subagreement that clearly indicates the support provided by MEPI and USAID for activities conducted under the award.

No HED award or any cost share funds may be expended prior to a fully executed (i.e., signed by both parties) subagreement between ACE/HED and the designated U.S. institution. Partnership activities are expected to commence immediately after the subagreement is executed.

Award funds for the partnership will be disbursed to the designated U.S. university, college, community college, or consortium, based on the applicant’s implementation of the work plan, stated budget, and submission to ACE/HED of financial, tax, and narrative progress reports. It is the designated U.S. institution’s responsibility to provide disbursements (reimbursements) for its collaborating partner(s) in accordance with the agreed-upon activity schedule and budget.

Annual HED Conference

Applicants must budget funds (travel and per diem) to cover the required participation of at least one representative each from the U.S. institution and the cooperating institution(s) in HED’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., during the second or third year of the partnership under HED funding. (Additional partnership personnel may attend if they are funded by other sources.)

TraiNet Requirements

To comply with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Department of State regulations regarding tracking and monitoring of Exchange Visitors, foreign nationals whose costs are paid, fully or partially, directly or indirectly using USAID program funds for training, non-training, and invitational travel, must enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa (non-immigrant Exchange Visitor visa) processed under one of USAID’s two program numbers, unless otherwise waived according to the procedure in ADS 252.3. J-2 visa applications for family members are not supported per USAID/Mexico policy. USAID expects that all DS-2019 documents (paperwork needed for J visas) and in-country or third country training be processed through the USAID Training, Results and Information Network (TraiNet) system. Institutions may not directly access the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to issue DS-2019 documents internally. Information regarding USAID’s J-1 visa requirements may be found on-line at the Participant Training website. Administrators must adhere to the regulations detailed under TraiNet, Visa Compliance System (VCS), the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), and USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS) 252-Visa Compliance for Exchange Visitors, and 253-Training for Development. U.S. institutions should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the processing of visas when planning activities in the United States.

USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) Insurance Program

The U.S. institution is responsible for enrolling each participant traveling to the United States or a third country in the official USAID Health and Accident Coverage (HAC) insurance program. The cost of HAC for participants must be included in the budget.

Reporting

Awardees will be required to submit to HED:

• Monthly progress updates via e-mail;

• Biannual progress reports via e-mail;

• Financial expenditures and cost sharing reports at least quarterly; and

• A final report to HED within 30 days of the closing date of the subagreement.
  

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