Washington, DC (August 15, 2006) - Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Mexico, announces ten new grant awards under the Phase II Cycle 2 of the U.S.-Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships (TIES) Initiative. The ten new awards are worth up to $300,000 each.
TIES partnerships seek mutual, fully collaborative relationships between Mexican and U.S. higher education institutions and their public and private sector partners on both sides of the border. TIES enhances the capacity of higher education institutions of both nations to examine mutual development problems, work in strategic alliances to develop solutions, and assist Mexico in benefiting more broadly from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Training from these institutions give Mexican participants the skills and the collaborative links necessary for them to respond more effectively to development challenges and opportunities.
The ten new TIES grants were awarded to:
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Southwestern University School of Law & Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey to implement advocacy training for Mexican law students, graduate students, faculty, and attorneys to meet the widespread need for criminal justice reform;
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American University & Universidad Autónoma de Benito Juárez de Oaxaca to conduct an innovative series of “hands on” programs to train indigenous lawyers;
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Oregon State University & Universidad de Guadalajara to work to improve the management, business, and processing practices in rural regions in forestry technology and management;
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University of Arizona & Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali to contribute to watershed management and riparian restoration practices in the Lower Colorado River Basin;
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California State University-Fullerton & Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala to build community-based wellness and healthy life-styles programs designed to prevent obesity and obesity-related diseases in the low-income urban and rural population;
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University of North-Texas & Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara to address the unique needs of persons with disabilities by training graduate level professionals/care providers;
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University of Georgia & Universidad Pedagógica Veracruzana & Benemérita Escuela Normal Veracruzana to strengthen teacher preparation programs for primary and secondary education in the State of Veracruz;
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Duquesne University & Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes to focus on expanding trade and investment between the United States and Mexico by empowering students, faculty, small Mexican businesses and entrepreneurs to be more globally competitive;
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University of Texas at San Antonio & Universidad Veracruzana to create a sustainable and cohesive national network of over 100 Mexican Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) that will improve the overall competitiveness of the Mexican economy; and
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Western Illinois University & Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro & Universidad Tecnológica de la Selva to conduct short-term training programs to bring together a consortium of experts that can provide direct assistance to small-scale, rural producers.
This brings the total number of higher education partnerships under the TIES Initiative to 55.
The HED program engages the resources of higher education institutions in the United States and abroad for global social and economic development through human and institutional capacity building. HED assists the nation’s six major higher education associations and their members in partnering with USAID, as well as other development agencies and donor organizations. For more information about HED, please visit http://www.HEDprogram.org.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information, please visit http://www.usaid.gov.
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