Higher Education for Development ProgramsThe Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development Egypt Colorado State University/Helwan University Colorado State University (CSU) and Helwan University (HU) are collaborating to contribute to the development of more affordable homes in Egypt and to stimulate Egypt’s economic development. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the partnership is developing a project management capstone course based on a successful model that: (1) applies business administration principles to construction project management using international standards; (2) attracts women to project-management-related careers; and (3) integrates classroom activity with hands-on learning experiences at actual projects in Egypt and the United States. CSU and HU will develop a plan to extend the teaching model to other disciplines at HU and other Egyptian universities. The long-term vision is to empower Egyptian faculty to work with public and private sector partners to develop a self-sustained residential community, which will be designed to use available, renewable resources and to create an environment and culture conducive to cooperation and self-sustainability. Georgia State University/Alexandria Institute of Technology Georgia State University (GSU) and the Alexandria Institute of Technology (AIT) are improving business training and capabilities in Egypt, focusing on international marketing and e-commerce. Through fully functioning distance education facilities located in various parts of the country, the partnership will provide up-to-date, market-relevant skills to current and prospective marketing professionals. The GSU program director and AIT advisors have collaborated on the program design with business leaders, managers, and academicians in Alexandria and Cairo and developed course content for modules in e-commerce, global marketing, international business law, and business communication. The partners publicized the AIT-GSU partnership and AIT’s new lab facilities and distance learning programs through program promotion and advertising—including an Open House in Alexandria and an interview with a local television station. GSU and AIT faculty, advisors, and fellows researched and wrote four Egypt-specific cases, and the AIT fellows completed "training the trainers" sessions in e-commerce and marketing at GSU. The partners have also developed a database of prospective clients, created a WebCT site that includes discussion board capabilities, created a public partnership web site, developed online registration capability, and established a continuing education library. University of Connecticut/Ain Shams University This partnership addresses a critical weakness in the current training of both IT and business students in Egypt. Current graduates in computer and information sciences are experts in information technology but lack knowledge of business management, while business and economics graduates have business and management skills but inadequate knowledge of the use of computers and IT in business. Partners have reviewed syllabi and designed a three-semester diploma program that integrates the study of information and communication technology and business administration. The partners have established linkages with the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and have laid the foundation for the Ministry’s participation in the diploma program to ensure relevance within Egypt. University of Connecticut/Menoufia University Partners seek to develop Menoufia University’s (MU) capacity to contribute to the national effort to reduce the gender gap in Egypt through the promotion of women in social and economic development. Consistent with the MEPI goal of enhancing the quality of Arab education, the partnership will promote curriculum development at MU, build capacity at both MU and UConn to conduct outreach-oriented research on women’s social, political, and economic status, and connect MU faculty working on women’s issues to community and non-governmental organizations that can facilitate and benefit from their research. Partners will design a program of faculty exchanges to develop courses on Women in Development (WID) at MU and foster collaborative research. Partners will also provide for the training of two female MU instructors at the Master’s level at UConn in a field related to WID. A key long-term outcome of this project will be the inauguration of a new master’s degree program in WID at MU, the first such graduate program in Egypt. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University/Arab Academy for Science and Technology Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VT), in collaboration with the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST), is establishing a resident graduate degree program in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that will help Egypt and other Middle East and North African countries meet the demand for qualified ICT faculty. In support of the resident degree program, the partnership is developing a faculty sabbatical program that will send six Egyptian ICT faculty to a faculty development program at VT, with a focus on instruction, research and advising. Walla Walla Community College/Al-Azhar University This partnership collaborated to design an agricultural technical institute and to develop agricultural technician training programs to increase sustainable agricultural production in the East Oeweinat region of Egypt. During the first phase of the collaboration, the partners conducted a technical skills assessment for the region. Partners then finished aligning the curriculum and course sequences for the proposed institute and established skills standards for 13 programs of instruction. These programs focus on areas such as agricultural business management, farm management, animal and crop production, agricultural equipment, agricultural production entrepreneurs, nursery management, and land reclamation. The partnership trained 43 Egyptian nationals in job analysis, curriculum development, and teacher training. |
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