May 22, 1998 Volume 1, Issue 1
(Updated June 17)
"Based on responses to similar efforts at other organizations, we estimated we’d be receiving between 50 and 60 proposals," said Dr. Claffey. The hundreds of inquiries generated by outreach efforts were the first hint at how vast the response would actually be. Many proposals involved more than one U.S. institution, making the response statistics even greater.
In mid-February, ALO issued the RFP as the first competition for grants under the new Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American Council on Education with five higher education associations: the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. ALO conducted peer review panels in April, and plans to make 10 seed-grants of up to $100,000 for partnerships between higher education institutions in the United States and USAID-assisted countries. Although the minimum requirement for matching funds from the U.S. institutions was 25%, many proposed matches of 100% or more of the grant requested from ALO.
The proposed collaborations address one or more of the six USAID goal areas: human capacity development, health, environment, economic development and agriculture, democracy/governance, and humanitarian assistance. Dr. Emily Vargas-Baron, Director of the USAID Center for Human Capacity Development expressed her delight at an ALO quarterly meeting upon hearing that 59 of the proposals involved the human capacity development goal.
The U.S. institutions would collaborate with foreign institutions in the following geographic regions: 25 in Africa, 14 in Asia, 3 in the Near East, 29 in Europe and the New Independent States (NIS), and 29 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
ALO is seeking to identify funding for more proposals through resources of USAID regional bureaus, missions and sectoral offices.
Following the peer review and discussions with USAID units, selections should be announced in June.
ALO provided seed money of $12,799 for a collaborative effort between Montana State University (MSU) and the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) in Mexico. The partnership focuses on technology transfer and environmental sustainability, but the scope and funding sources are expanding.
The effort began in February 1995 in Mexico City with a conference organized by ALO and co-sponsored with the Mexican higher education counterpart, Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior (ANUIES), and the Institute for International Education. The conference, "The Relevance of Higher Education to Development," looked at cases of effective partnership for economic development.
According to the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, one way to achieve regional economic integration is by greater and broader academic collaboration in areas of common interest. Besides being situated in arid regions and agriculture-based economies, MSU and UABC have in common enrollment sizes of about 25,000 students among four campuses. Each area in Montana and Mexico has a sparse population and has to balance agricultural concerns and the environment. Both schools have similar faculties including agriculture, animal science and education, and neither school is resource-rich.
Dr. Norman Peterson, Director of International Education at Montana State University, stressed the reciprocity of the agreement between the universities. He said that the technology transfer and education benefits flow to both Mexico and Montana. One example is a marine science program last summer where MSU biology majors studied oceanography at the UABC Encinada campus. Dr. Peterson said, "It’s not like the old days when we have the money and knowledge and we’re giving it to others." He also pointed out that the environment in southern California is affected by Mexican industries, such as heavy metal pollution that enters the waterways. "It’s very much in our self-interest to address these problems," said Dr. Peterson.
In March 1996, a UABC team came to MSU so that officials could become acquainted with the mechanism and methods established at the Montana university to foster economic development in the state. MSU delegates made a reciprocal visit in May 1996, familiarizing themselves with the institutional capabilities and technology transfer needs of UABC. With the solid foundation of the partnership in place, MSU was able to facilitate field trials of a Montana company’s whitefly bio-pesticide near Mexicali in collaboration with UABC.
A workshop on Environmental Sustainability and Technology Transfer in June 1997 linked another 11 Northern Mexico universities with the MSU campuses. Supported by the Fund for the Modernization of Higher Education in 1996 (FOMES), a Mexican fund from the Ministry of Public Education, the workshop concentrated on university technology transfer to the private sector. Experts from MSU, the University of Colorado and Cornell University contributed.
Impressed with the initial results of the partnership, the U.S. Department of Education’s Center for International Education granted the universities $176,000 to form cooperative efforts on sustainable environmental technology. In early 1997, MSU completed another grant from the Department of Education to develop a network of Montana environmental technology firms interested in international work. The new Department of Education grant will connect the environmental technology created under the USAID grant to the network of technology firms.
The benefits of the partnership have moved into community service, language exchanges, museum exchanges, and more. For example, MSU veterinary scientists visited the UABC’s veterinary laboratories to advise on the future development of the laboratories and to train UABC scientists. Additionally, intensive Spanish language programs are being developed for MSU students to study at UABC, and the Museum of the Rockies at MSU and the Museum of UABC are investigating ideas for exchanges of exhibits.
The universities are discussing the possibility of financing graduate degrees for UABC educators using money generated through MSU’s proposed study abroad program. UABC would provide teachers for the MSU students at no cost, and the money from the students would be used to pay for the faculty’s tuition.
For some projects, students have already contributed by paying their own travel expenses. One project, the "Breaks-Away" Community Service Program, involved MSU students not only funding their own trips but using their spring breaks to perform community service in Baja. UABC students traveled to Montana in April to participate in community service projects there.
The U.S. students have already learned a lesson about the culture in Mexico - Dr. Peterson said that many U.S. students are concerned that they won’t be able to match the hospitality shown to them by their Mexican hosts. Perhaps one of the most important results of the partnership, according to Dr. Peterson, is expanding the worlds of the students involved - helping to develop citizens that would be understanding of USAID goals and the significance of development.
According to USAID, the principal beneficiary of American foreign assistance programs has always been the United States, with close to 80 percent of USAID's contracts and grants flowing back to American organizations and firms.
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) surveyed its members and found that of the 263 responses analyzed, 84% of the institutions report having resources and interest for involvement in international development.
Dr. Jon Fuller, senior fellow at NAICU, wrote in a preliminary report of the survey that "Independent colleges and universities have a long and productive record of contributing not only to the strength of our own nation, but also to the welfare and development of many countries around the world." NAICU received about 40 additional responses since its initial report.
NAICU plans to use the results of the survey to help link interested and able member institutions with new opportunities to participate in international development programs and projects. Dr. Fuller anticipates more extensive involvement in international development in the future.
Said Dr. Fuller: "We see this survey as a first step, not a finished product."
NAICU represents over 900 members, coordinating and guiding public policy efforts. For information on NAICU, contact Dr. Fuller at 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036-5404, phone: (202) 785-8866 and e-mail: jon@naicu.edu.
| Total Responses Analyzed | 263 |
| Resources or interest for future involvement | 221 |
| Involved within the past five years | 199 |
| Educating students from developing countries | 199 |
| Increasing manufacturing productivity | 16 |
| Sharing expertise/resources with schools | 141 |
| Helping to increase agricultural productivity | 19 |
| Assisting entrepreneurial ventures | 59 |
| Teaching in developing countries | 135 |
| Improving physical infrastructure | 12 |
| Developing government institutions or strengthening democracy | 56 |
| Helping with public health projects | 32 |
| Protecting the environment | 40 |
| Other | 46 |
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) issued a Request for Proposals for Community College International Workforce Development Partnerships. The program is in cooperation with the Association Liaison Office (ALO) and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Awards are for up to $50,000 for a period of two years. Applications are due by May 22, 1998. For more information, contact Audree Chase at AACC, (202) 728-0200, ext. 233.
The American Council on Education’s (ACE) Commission on International Education announces the publication of its statement on the importance of international education and development to the nation’s economic and political future. Addressed to U.S. economic, business, political, and non-profit sectors, the statement supports colleges and universities as they make this case to potential partners. It gives examples of successful partnerships and describes campus resources that can help corporate and government leaders enhance their global agendas. Cost is $10. ACE has also updated its Guidelines for College and University Linkages Abroad; cost is $15. To order, call (301) 604-9073 or use the order form on the ACE web site: http://www.acenet.edu/products/OrderForm.html.
Through the efforts of a team of international development and computer experts at the University of Maryland, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) is advancing ALO’s outreach efforts. The prototype of the International Linkages Database contains information on international development linkages at 75 NASULGC institutions. The prototype will be expanded from the 1,200 current records to 10,000 by the end of the summer, and include information on a broader range of colleges and universities.
A delegation of higher education leaders attended the first planning meeting for the North American region for the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, April 15 and 16 in Toronto. The conference will be held in Paris, October 5-9, 1998. Its aim will be to set principles for the reform of higher education systems throughout the world with a view to strengthening their contribution to development and to the building of peace. For information, see the conference web site at http://www.education.unesco.org/educprog/wche/index.html.
USAID Administrator J. Brian Atwood gave testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations March 18, 1998. President Clinton requested a $300 million increase over FY 1998 funding of USAID-managed programs for FY 1999, which the Administrator called "very modest" but "crucial" to the future of the organization. He also addressed the promotion of education to the level of an Agency primary goal. The USAID budget request summary is listed at http://www.info.usaid.gov/about/fy1999.htm. The site not only compares the current requested funding to 1997 and 1998 appropriations, but also describes some programs to be funded. For example, USAID hopes to help eradicate polio globally by the year 2000, and save more than 5 million lives through child survival programs.
A survey conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) revealed that of 326 respondents, 39 had 218 international workforce development projects in 53 USAID-supported countries, and another 88 projects in non-USAID-supported countries.
Conducted in cooperation with ALO, the survey was designed to determine the scope and types of international cooperation in development at community colleges. Of the 218 projects in USAID-supported countries, 27 involved project management, 86 as consultation, and 82 entailed contract training, with 24 projects in other categories.
According to AACC, community colleges are more involved with international and intercultural curricula and projects than ever before.
For information on community colleges and international development, contact Audree Chase at (202) 728-0200, ext. 233 or visit the web site at http://www.aacc.nche.edu/iso/home.htm.
Established in 1992, ALO coordinates the efforts of the nation's six major higher education associations to build their partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and to help their member institutions plan and implement development programs with colleges and universities abroad. Copyright 1998 by the Association Liaison Office. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without permission from the publisher. Send comments, requests for addition to list, questions, and ideas for stories to ALO.
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