FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3/16/05)

Contact Information:
Tony Wagner, ALO
Tel: 202-478-4704
E-mail: wagnera@aascu.org

ALO ANNOUNCES NEW HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN
Technical Assistance to Balkh University Agriculture Faculty

Washington, DC (March 16, 2005) – The Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO), in cooperation with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Afghanistan, announces a new grant award of $119,933 to modernize curriculum and enhance teaching techniques and technologies for the Balkh University Faculty of Agriculture (BUFA) in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

The award was made to Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), which is partnered with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the Northwest Frontier Agricultural University (NWFPAU) in Pakistan.

The goals of the program include provision of expertise to Balkh University’s Departments of Plant Science, Animal Science and Forestry/Horticulture, development of modern teaching skills for use in the classroom and field, provision of up-to-date technical materials and strengthening Balkh’s library, and assistance to Agriculture faculty in the formation of networks with international, regional and national universities.

ALO, established in 1992, assists the nation's six major higher education associations build their partnership with USAID and help their member institutions foster cooperative development partnerships with colleges and universities abroad. Uniquely positioned to promote the involvement of U.S. higher education in global development, ALO seeks to encourage international partnerships to address development goals. For more information about ALO, please visit: http://www.aascu.org/alo.

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