Ball State University Projects to Strengthen Higher Educati - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Ball State University Projects to Strengthen Higher Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Dr. Kenneth Holland

Director, Center for International Development

Ball State University

January

8, 2013

Hawaii International Conference on EducationSlide2

Ball State University

Founded in 1918.

Located in Muncie, Indiana.

Student body of 22,000.

Seven academic colleges and 47 academic departments offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 200 subjects.

Center for International Development established in 2010.Slide3

Origin of Funding

In spring 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama announced a “civilian surge” to strengthen the government of Afghanistan.

President Obama stated that the instability in Afghanistan cannot be separated from instability in Pakistan.

In the subsequent appropriation, the U.S. Congress provided funds to the State Department to support partnerships between U.S. and Afghan and Pakistani universities.Slide4

Purpose of Academic Partnerships

Congressional funding was provided to the State Department under the Fulbright-Hays Act, whose purpose is to foster “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries.”

This initiative, therefore, falls under the Public Diplomacy efforts of the State Department. not the United States Agency for International Development, which has a separate higher education assistance program.Slide5

Afghanistan and Pakistani Partnership Grants

The State Department awarded grants to U.S. universities to link up with Afghan institutions beginning in 2010.

The State Department awarded grants to U.S. universities to link up with Pakistani institutions beginning in 2012.Slide6

Afghan Partnerships, Awarded 2010-2012

U.S. University

Afghan University

Discipline

Ball State University

Kandahar University

Career Services and Entrepreneurship

Ball State University

Khost University

Journalism

Ball State University

Six Afghan Universities

English Language Training

San Jose State University

Balkh University

Journalism

San Jose State University

Herat University

Journalism

The University of Arizona

Nangarhar

University

Journalism

The

University of Nebraska--Omaha

Kabul University

Journalism

Indiana University

Kabul

Education University

Establishing a Master’s degree program in TESOL

Indiana University

Ministry of Higher Education

Implementing a National English CurriculumSlide7

Pakistani Partnerships, Awarded 2012

U.S. University

Pakistani University

Discipline

Ball State University

Quaid-i-Azam

University

American

Studies

Ball State University

Isra

University

Business

Administration

San Jose State University

Allama

Iqbal

Open University

Distance

Education

The

University of Texas--Austin

Fatima

Jinnah Women’s University

Behavioral Sciences and Communication and Media Studies

Southern

Methodist University

Shaheed

Benazir Bhutto Women University

Psychology

The

University of North Texas

National University of Modern Languages

English

The University

of Kentucky

Consortium of Five Universities in the

KPK

Province

Business Administration

The

University of Oklahoma

University of

Gujrat

Mass Communications and MediaSlide8

Areas of Collaboration

Faculty exchange

Ball State faculty go to Afghanistan, Pakistan and third countries, such as Malaysia, to conduct workshops

Afghan and Pakistani faculty come to Ball State for workshops

Student exchange

Afghan and Pakistani graduate students come to the U.S. and Malaysia

No Ball State students have gone to Afghanistan or PakistanSlide9

Areas of Collaboration

Joint research

Improvement in library

services

Curriculum development

Teaching by Digital Video Conferencing (DVC)

Updating teaching methods (from lecture method to student-centered approach)

Improvements in academic administrationSlide10

Levels of Funding and Project Duration

The initial grant is typically for $1 million

Project duration is typically three years

The U.S. embassies in Kabul and Islamabad, however, can add funds and extend the project duration

Some projects have grown to $1.4 million and received a one-year extensionSlide11

Sustainability

In Afghanistan, the U.S. embassy requires that the projects be Afghan-led, support transition of lead responsibility for security from the U.S. to Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and be sustainable

Sustainability is also a goal of Public Diplomacy grants in PakistanSlide12

USAID Funding

Funding is also available from USAID to support the development of higher education in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Ball State does not yet have USAID funding but is exploring opportunities in both countries

USAID projects tend to be much larger than State Department onesSlide13

World Bank and Asian Development Bank Funding

Two International Financial Institutions, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, also support the strengthening of higher education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

Ball State has submitted two proposals for World Bank funding in Afghanistan, totaling $6.4 millionSlide14

Challenges

More than 80% of university teachers in Afghanistan only have a bachelor’s degree.

Salaries are very low at Afghan universities.

Universities in both countries are

under-resourced.

Internet is unavailable or slow in Afghanistan.

Because of security concerns, movement in the two countries can be difficult and expensive.

Afghanistan presents a language barrier.Slide15

Future of State Department Opportunities to Partner with Universities in Developing Countries

The Public Affairs Section of U.S. embassies in several post-conflict countries and emerging democracies, including Burma, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are interested in supporting people-to-people diplomacy, including partnerships with U.S. universities.

These linkages are a proven vehicle for promoting mutual understanding between the American people and the peoples in these nations critical to the world’s stability.

In 2013, there will be a new emphasis on public diplomacy in sub-Saharan Africa, in order to forestall the spread of al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist influences.Slide16

Conclusion

Ball State University is one of the nation’s leading universities in the development of the higher education sector in post-conflict countries and emerging democracies.

Ball State’s Center for International Development is expected to grow substantially in the near future to meet these challenges, so important to the national interest of the

United States.