USAID Development Partnerships for University Cooperation and Development
Alamo Community College District/Universidad Tecnologico de Coahuila Award Date: 2004 TIES Cycle II Award Amount: $299,017 Cost Share: $512,976 Other Partners: El Paso Community College; Texas State Technical College at Harlingen; Universidad Tecnologica de Matamoros; Universidad Tecnologica de Cuidad Juarez The partnership will increase the productivity of maquiladora manufacturing workers.
The partners will develop an international institutional partnership between three Mexican technical colleges and three American community colleges to integrate proven workforce development solutions to help Mexico adapt to global competition and new technology, and to fill emerging gaps in workforce skills in the maquiladora manufacturing sector.
Three hundred Mexican manufacturing/maquiladora workers at risk of displacement will participate in courses on short-term workforce solutions.
Thirty advanced manufacturing workforce development training courses will be delivered in priority areas.
In addition, seven scholarships will be provided to personnel from Mexican technical colleges to attend a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi graduate-level certificate program in Higher Education Administration Community College Workforce Development Administration and Leadership.
Cornell University/Bahir Dar University Award Date: 2003 Award Amount: $117,618 Cost Share: $87,523 Other Partners: Amhara Micro-Enterprise Agriculture Research Extension and Watershed Management Project; Amahara Regional Agricultural Research Institute The partners aim to enhance agricultural production to provide food security programs for current and future generations in Ethiopia.
The partnership is training a cadre of young professionals in integrated watershed management in Ethiopia.
The focus of the partnership is on Lake Tana and its watershed, in the vicinity of Bahir Dar University.
Partnership activities include the interdisciplinary training of 100 students who, once they graduate, will better manage existing natural resources.
Highline Community College/False Bay College Award Date: 2003 Award Amount: $125,000 Cost Share: $48,850 Other Partners: Disabled Persons of South Africa (DPSA); Students Health and Welfare Centers Organization (SHAWCO); Western Cape Education Department; Altitude Workforce Solutions The partners are developing a model to provide workforce training and job placement for the disabled.
By building the capacity of False Bay College (FBC) to work with businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and the South African government agencies responsible for workforce development, the partnership is demonstrating that people with disabilities can be integrated into the workplace through a supported employment model.
FBC administrators and a representative from the organization, Disabled Persons of South Africa, visited Highline Community College (HCC) to learn how the model works.
Two HCC specialists on supported employment conducted a workshop for FBC instructors and staff on HCC's supported employment model and helped develop an orientation program for future participants.
The partners have identified potential employers and are finishing work on a curriculum that will address the full spectrum of student needs and employer demands.
The National Department of Education has recognized FBC's commitment to providing workforce training for the disabled by selecting FBC to be the pilot Further Education Training Institution for inclusive education.
Indiana University/South East European University Special Initiative: 2001 Award Amount: $2,325,000 Cost Share: $584,499 Other Partners: Indiana Consortium for International Programs USAID/Macedonia, USAID/Europe and Eurasia Bureau; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Sabre Foundation This Special Initiative is building the institutional capacity of South East European University (SEEU) as a new multilingual, mult i- ethnicinstitution that offersa Western-style curriculum, high-quality teaching, action-oriented research, and community outreach.
Among significant accomplishments, the partnership has developed and taught an intensive ESL program for students and professionals at SEEU and redesigned the SEEU computer center and trained 22 local full-time and part-time instructors.
The partners have begun a one-semester computer literacy curriculum, required of all students, and sponsored visits to SEEU by U.S.
faculty in business, education, communications, law, and public administration to consult on curriculum design, teach courses, offer faculty workshops, and conduct joint research projects.
The partners selected and enrolled six SEEU junior faculty for M.A.
fellowships at IU and other Indiana institutions, who will return to SEEU to teach.
Also, the partners have enrolled SEEU ESL teachers in an online certificate course in language education, the first at any Macedonian university.
SEEU's Chief Information Technology Officer took a three-week training program in university information systems technology at IU, and 10 IT instructors from SEEU have undertaken a second distance IT course leading to an IU certificate.
The partners have delivered approximately 16,000 textbooks and reference materials to the SEEU library, donated by the Sabre Foundation.
An IU library consultant visited SEEU for two weeks and an SEEU librarian traveled to Indiana to for one month of training at U.S.
partner institutions.
SEEU has also received much-needed educational support equipment from IU partners.
Langston University/Debub University, Awassa College of Agriculture Award Date: 1998, 2000 EDDI Sustainability (completed June 2003) Award Amounts: $100,000 (1998), $100,000 (2000 EDDI) Final Cost Share: $119,219 Other Funds Leveraged: $6,000 Other Partner: Oklahoma State University Partners enhanced the teaching, research, and extension capability of the Awassa College of Agriculture at Debub University (DU), and enhanced food security of the surrounding villages by establishing women's groups for goat production.
More than 150 women received two goats each and were trained in dairy production.
Two DU staff members received training in surgical procedures, and three visiting scholars from DU completed research at Langston University on aspects of goat production relevant to Ethiopian conditions.
A DU faculty member received training in adult education and extension at Oklahoma State University (OSU).
This faculty member subsequently conducted a workshop on adult education and extension for DU staff, in conjunction with an OSU faculty member.
Two staff members from agricultural high schools received training in goat production.
Partners also purchased equipment and installed a computer lab at DU and improved computer facilities on the campus.
They conducted three seminars at DU on multimedia applications and their role in classroom instruction and extension activities.
Partners then used multimedia in extension presentations to villagers participating in the goat-raising program.
Tiffin University (GCDC)/University of Bucharest Award Date: 1999 (completed January 2003) Award Amount: $98,289 Cost Share: $86,000 Other Funds Leveraged: $123,947 Other Partners: Council of International Programs USA (CIPUSA); Ministry of Justice; Ministry of the Interior; Ohio Department of Development; Ohio Attorney General's Office; Office of the Governor of the State of Ohio; local police departments; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Drug Enforcement Agency; Department of Health and Human Services; National Association of the Fraternal Order of Police; San Diego State University; Terra Community College; Ohio State University; Loyola University; Women's Organization of Moldova; the probation center in Timisoara This partnership created a School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) at the University of Bucharest (UB), the first ofits kind in Eastern a d Central Europe.
The partners developed a master'-level criminal justice course.
In September 2001, UB graduated its first class of 15 master's degree students from the SCJ.
Students in the course included the general director of Romania's prison system and members of his staff, administrators from the Ministries of Justice and Interior, and members of the police force.
The partners added probation, juvenile justice, parole, and restorative justice to the curriculum, areas new to Romania's legal landscape.
Introduction to Criminal Justice, a book written by the Tiffin University partnership director, was translated into Romanian to be used as the seminal text for the program.
The president and prime minister of Romania affirmed their support for expanding the master's-level program to five other Romanian universities, including the West Timisoara University, where partner faculty will serve as visiting professors.
University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign/Institute of Technology, Bandung Award Date: 1999 (completed May 2003) Award Amount: $100,000 Cost Share: $168,320 Other Funds Leveraged: $237,250 Other Partners: Indonesia Partnership for Local Government Initiatives; Emerson Park Development Corporation; Forum Jatinangor This partnership executed a university-community collaboration model to strengthen local governance.
Partners conducted five workshops with 198 participants at the start of the project to identify the most pressing development issues arising from the rapid growth of Jatinangor, an emerging urban area adjacent to Bandung.
The partners conducted annual training programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's (UIUC) Local Government Management Institute to introduce Indonesian faculty to participatory planning in the context of U.S.
local government.
Two members of Forum Jatinangor, a grassroots organization, participated in the two-week institute and one member remained for a monthlong internship with the East St.
Louis Action Research Project and the Emerson Park Development Corporation.
The partners developed five new courses in city, regional, and international planning.
The partnership's workforce development activities included establishing a skills retooling program for pedicab drivers in Jatinangor and supporting retention of local workers in the woodworking industry.
University of Massachusetts Amherst/Afghanistan Education University Award Date: 2003 Award Amount: $124,993 Cost Share: $31,113 Other Funds Leveraged: $5,000 The goal of this partnership is to build local institutional capacity for rapid teacher training in basic education.
In response to the urgent educational needs in Afghanistan, the partners are increasing the Afghanistan Education University's (AEU) capability to train accelerated learning facilitators at the community level, develop culturally appropriate training materials, and promote dialogue on the role of rapid teacher training in AEU's academic program.
To support project activities, the partners are establishing a Center for Active and Accelerated Learning at AEU, which will house project materials, provide logistical support for workshops and other linkage activities, and provide translation services.
Originally, the partners had planned to train only 10 master trainers, but due to overwhelming demand and despite enormous infrastructure and security challenges'they have trained 38 to date, who, in turn, have conducted workshops for 371 participants in six provinces.
- Science, Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships in Higher Education Program
- Accelerating Local Potential Addendum to the Science, Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships in Higher Education Program Annual Program Statement
- Higher Education Partnerships (HEP)-Dominican Republic Addendum_STIP APS
- Higher Education Partnerships (HEP)-Morocco Addendum_STIP APS
- Higher Education Partnerships (HEP)-Paraguay Addendum_STIP APS
The Agency for International Development is an independent Federal government agency that provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries to ensure a better future for us all.
Program Accomplishments
Accomplishments: Higher Education for Development (HED), formerly Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO) The HED provides support to the U.S. higher education community (HEC) to facilitate a working partnership with USAID. It is designed to support the achievement of USAID's strategic objectives, provide support to higher education institutions in USAID presence countries, strengthen their roles in addressing development problems, and increase the attention given to international development issues on U.S. campuses and by constituents and cooperating institutions. HED's work has been largely focused on support of higher education partnerships -- collaborative projects between U.S. colleges or universities and similar institutions overseas. To date, HED has financed 226 partnerships in 59 countries where USAID operates. There are two categories of HED partnerships: Institutional Partnerships (IPs) and Special Initiatives (SIs). IPs are funded centrally, whereas SIs are funded by Missions or AID/Washington Bureaus and Offices. Overall, the program has involved at least 139 U.S. colleges and universities and 174 higher education institutions overseas. Partnerships produce results and or products that support USAID Missions strategic objectives in agriculture/agri-business, economic growth and trade, environment and natural resource management, education, democracy and governance, HIV/AIDS, community development, workforce development, internet and information technology, population, health, and nutrition, HED Assessment Findings: Institutional Partnerships. A key goal of HED is to promote partnerships and strategic alliances among higher education institutions for development cooperation. The primary means for achieving this goal has been the IP program. The assessment team's principal findings with respect to IPs are as follows: Achieving Objectives. IPs aim primarily at change in the overseas higher education institution that will enhance its capability in a sector of interest to USAID. HED's outreach and selection processes have been effective in attracting and incorporating a large and diverse group of U.S. higher education institutions (universities, colleges, community colleges and historically black colleges) and overseas partner institutions. IPs have been undertaken on a very broad array of topics reflecting the interests and priorities of the key individuals involved. Most IPs achieve their planned results, and many go beyond initial plans to achieve unanticipated positive results. The achievements of many individual IPs are particularly impressive in view of the small amount of USAID resources provided to them. Impact. Measuring the impact of individual IPs is difficult, and, in fact, little has been done in this respect so far. The team's observations of 34 IPs suggest, however, that many will have or are likely to have significant impact, at least on their immediate environments. Relation to USAID. While most Missions are generally aware of the HED program, in many, there is little knowledge of the centrally-funded IPs operating in their countries and, as a result, they do not take full advantage of the possibilities. Special Initiatives. SIs have several advantages over IPs, including larger budgets, longer terms, and potential renewal. The funding comes from the Missions, which set the priorities and desired outcomes, prepare the scope of work for the request for applications (RFAs), and often select the host country partners. The Missions are also actively involved in planning, implementation, and monitoring. Overall Partnership Findings. Over the course of its work the team developed a high regard for both the IP and SI programs. Multiple instances were found of projects that achieved or were achieving their objectives and, in many cases, went well beyond their initial scope. The principal shortcoming was the lack,overall, of sufficient integration of partnerships, particularly IPs, into USAID strategic frameworks.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Assistance can be used by U. S. institutions of higher education to collaborate with institutions of higher education in developing countries to conduct projects that address critical development needs.
Projects must be advance USAID development objectives in the proposed country of activity.
A comprehensive list of prior activities funded under this agreement can be found at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Use restrictions are also specified in the terms of each solicitation issued under the cooperative agreement.
Additional information regarding the cooperative agreement can be found at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
US institutions of higher education, including community colleges, are eligible to apply, subject to the terms of any solicitation.
Solicitations and any additional eligibility requirements unique to the solicitation are published at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Beneficiary Eligibility
US institutions of higher education, including community colleges, are eligible to apply, subject to the terms of any solicitation. Solicitations and any additional eligibility requirements unique to the solicitation are published at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Credentials/Documentation
None.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
None.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
Solicitations and respective application procedures are announced via the Higher Education for Development Office. (See www.HEDProgram.org/).
Award Procedures
Applications and proposals are peer-reviewed. Awards are made to the top proposals under the terms of the solicitation, subject to USAID approval and available funding. The awards are issued under USAID's cooperative agreement with the American Council on Education. Additional information can be found at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Deadlines
Application deadlines are specified in each solicitation. Solicitations can be found at www.HEDProgram.org/.
Authorization
Worldwide higher education partnerships for development program (936-5861 project number). Authorized June 26, 1997, Congressional reference: CP 1997, Statistical Annex, page 306.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Applicants should expect between 45-90 days for approval or disapproval.
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Not applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
There is a requirement for matching. Applicants may be encouraged to achieve a target match which would be incorporated in the solicitation.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
None.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Each award recipient is required to provide Annual Work Plans, Semi-Annual Progress Reports and Quarterly financial statements (Form 269A).
Additional reporting may be required to respond to specific requests for information.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, non-federal entities that expand financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
The grantee shall maintain adequate records and accounts to assure that grant funds are used for authorized purposes.
Financial Information
Account Identification
72-1021-0-1-151 Development Assistance
72-1095-0-1-151 Child Survival and Health Program Fund 72-1037-0-1-151
Economic Support Fund.
Obigations
FY 07 $25,000,000; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Averaging $22.6 million per year from FY 04 to FY 06 and ranging from $14.3 million to $31 million.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
See www.HEDProgram.org/.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Martin Hewitt, Higher Education Community Liaison, USAID, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20523. Phone: (202) 712-1531. Fax: (202) 216-3229 Email: mhewitt@usaid.gov.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Criteria vary by solicitation and are specified for each solicitation. In general, proposals are reviewed for the quality of the proposed activities and the impact such activities will likely have on critical development problems and objectives. Cost-effectiveness, short and long-term impacts, capacity development, cost-share, leverage and the qualifications of the personnel and institutions are all important. See www.HEDProgram.org/ for exemplary solicitations and associated proposal review criteria.
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