News Bytes
From the Higher Education International Development Community
Announcements
The World Bank is preparing a strategic document on higher education entitled Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education. The paper presents the development case for investment in higher education. Dr. Jamil Salmi, who spoke at ALO's Synergy in Development Conference in August, is a principal author. Salmi notes that "(t)he main purpose of this Tertiary Education Strategy is to explore the role of the sub-sector in building up a country's capacity to become a knowledge economy and society and investigate the policy options that can increase the contribution of tertiary education to economic growth and poverty reduction. The strategy document will be used to achieve the following complementary goals: (i) update the World Bank tertiary education lending strategy to reflect current knowledge on successful reforms and effective implementation practices, and (ii) engage internal World Bank partners...in a dialogue on the role of tertiary education in the context of Bank strategies and policies, the justification for investing in this sub-sector and ways of minimizing the negative political impact of tertiary education reforms. Further information will be available at the World Bank's website at http://www.worldbank.org.
The Academy for Educational Development (AED) has put together a report about designing and managing partnerships between U.S. and host country institutions entitled Designing and Managing Partnerships Between U.S. and Host-Country Entities. The guide is for USAID staff, for intermediary organizations that develop partnerships, and for partners themselves. A number of ALO partnerships are highlighted in the report. Order the document (ID# PN-ACG-627) from USAID at http://www.dec.org/order_form.cfm
 |
Prof. Lam Quang Thiep of Vietnam National University, Hanoi visited the offices of ALO and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) on Nov. 15, 2001. Prof. Thiep (center) spoke with ALO Executive Director Joan Claffey and George Mehaffy, AASCU Vice President for Academic Leadership and Change, about the challenges facing the Vietnamese higher education system and possibilities for future collaborative projects with American colleges and universities to reform the system. |
The Department of Adult Education of the University of Botswana, the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association, and the UNESCO Institute for Education, are developing a textbook series entitled African Perspectives on Adult Learning to provide accessible textbooks to students in Africa studying adult education. The Series Editorial Board invites the submission of Expressions of Interest by commercial publishers in Africa. Expressions of Interest should be submitted by January 4th, 2002. Further details: Professor Frank Youngman, Series Managing Editor, Department of Adult Education, University of Botswana, e-mail: youngman@mopipi.ub.bw, tel: 267-3552266.
The Popular Education Collective in Zimbabwe is conducting community-based workshops in Masvingo and Manicaland. The workshops are on good governance, choosing effective leaders, citizen participation, non-violence and tolerance, transparency and accountability. For more information, contact Chiwota at civics@zol.co.zw or see http://www.comminit.com/pds9-2001/sld-2992.html for more information.
The Digital Divide Network (DDN), a national coalition of non-profit institutions and IT companies working together to help bridge the digital divide, is currently seeking articles around a number of issues in this field. Further details http://www.kabissa.org/kfn/newsletter.php?id=4271. Contact: kade@benton.org
Emigration of academics from African universities is one of the greatest obstacles to the continent's development, says a report prepared to help plan the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg in September 2002. The report, written by Chris Buckley, a researcher in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Natal, notes that Africa has lost one-third of its skilled professionals in recent decades. To view the full report, see http://www.johannesburgsummit.org
Grants & Fellowships
The Participation Group, (PG), at the Institute of Development Studies, (IDS), University of Sussex, is inviting applications for their first Learning Fellowship Programme to be held April 22-May 31, 2002. The LF will focus on the experiences of human rights activists and advocacy groups who have, in their advocacy, sought to involve those normally seen as "beneficiaries" in their work. For more information, see http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/ or contact Sammy Musyoki at s.musyoki@ids.ac.uk
The National Endowment for Democracy has established the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program to enable democracy activists, practitioners, scholars, and journalists from around the world to enhance their ability to promote democracy. The International Forum hosts 12-15 fellows per year for three to ten months each. Stipend levels range from a minimum of $3500/month to a maximum of $7500/month. For more information, see http://www.ned.org/grants/grants.html or contact kristin@ned.org.
The C.V. Starr Foundation will award three fellowships to mid-career professionals from developing countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, the former Soviet Republics, Africa, Latin America and South Asia to study at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Fellows will pursue the Master of International Policy and Practice (M.I.P.P.) program during the 2002-2003 academic year. The M.I.P.P. is an intensive, one-year degree program for mid-career professionals with a flexible curriculum. For more information, contact Office of Graduate Admissions, The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, 2013 G Street, NW, Rm. 102, Washington, DC 20052, USA, mipp@gwu.edu. Web site: http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott
Dates & Deadlines
February (dates TBA): Basic Impact Evaluation Course, a five-day technical course offered to economists, statisticians or other professionals wanting an introduction to the general principles, methods and techniques of impact evaluation. Countries include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia (tentative). For more information, contact acoudouel@worldbank.org.
February 5-9, 2001: "African Universities and the Challenge of Knowledge Creation and Application in the New Century," 10th General Conference. Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya. For more information, see http://www.aau.org/gc10/10gcprogeng.htm
February 9-11 2002: "Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2002," New Delhi, India. For more information, contact The Summit Secretariat at program@teri.res.in or see http://www.teriin.org/dsds/
February 11-15, 2002: Horn of Africa Regional Conference on Women and Information and Communication Technologies. See http://www2.womensnet.org.za/events/show.cfm?id=293 for more information.
February 14-16, 2002: "Environmental Justice and Global Citizenship," conference, Inter-Disciplinary.Net/Learning Solutions, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Contact: Rob Fisher, rob@fishwest.demon.co.uk, http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/e1.htm
March 27-30, 2002: "Development in the Latest Era of Globalization: Reassessing Opportunities and Formulating New Approaches," conference, Third World Conference Foundation, at Embassy Suites Hotel--Chicago Downtown Lakefront, Chicago, Ill. Contact: Roger K. Oden, TWCF, 1525 East 53rd Street, Suite 435, Chicago, Ill. 60615; fax (773) 241-7898, twcfusa@aol.com
April 11-13, 2002: "HIV/AIDS and Children in Africa: Health Challenges, Educational Possibilities," conference, Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio. Contact: Abdul Lamin, Institute for the African Child, Burson House, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701; lamin@ohio.edu, http://www.ohio.edu/Toguna
April 18-20, 2002: "Leading the Way: A Showcase of Best Practices in Global Education for Community Colleges," spring conference, American Council on International Intercultural Education, in Seattle, Wash. Contact: (847) 635-2605, fax (847) 635-1764, lkorbel@oakton.edu
April 26-30, 2002: "World Russian Forum: The Agenda for U.S.-Russian Political, Business, Cultural, and Educational Cooperation," American University in Moscow, at Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York, N.Y. Contact: Edward D. Lozansky, President, American University in Moscow, 1800 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009; (202) 986-6010, fax (202) 667-4244, lozansky@aol.com, http://www.russiahouse.org