FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
E-mail: smorris@HEDprogram.org
www.HEDprogram.org
USAID Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov
WASHINGTON, DC (October 8, 2009) – Higher Education for Development (HED) has awarded a three-year grant supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Embassy in Algiers to the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan for a partnership with Mentouri University in Algeria.
The purpose of the three-year partnership is to enhance the University of Mentouri’s capacity to provide effective teaching, curriculum, and research in English and business management. Through experiential learning and real-world experience, the partnership will create a career center, develop English language training curricula, and enhance the capacity of the faculty to develop and teach a modern business management curriculum at Mentouri University. The partner institutions also will focus on implementing a collaborative train-the-trainer curriculum, while actively engaging the private sector to integrate key skills and knowledge that is needed in the workplace.
“The partnership will contribute to building the human and institutional capacity of Mentouri University as well as produce a long-term relationship between U.S. and Algerian higher education institutions,” said HED Executive Director, Tully Cornick.
In addition to keeping up with the needs of a growing university population, Mentouri University and other Algerian higher education institutions are struggling with the issue of unemployed graduates. In spite of the large number of unemployed university graduates, private-sector employees report difficulty identifying young Algerians who can demonstrate English language proficiency, basic management and computer skills, and the “soft skills” needed for workplace success such as strong verbal communications, writing, teamwork, and problem-solving. This partnership aims to assist in all of these areas.
This partnership seeks to respond to those needs by establishing a foundation for targeted faculty development programs, improving English language training and business management curricula, and creating job skills and placement programs that effectively prepare students for professional success.
Upholding the goals in President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2009, the creation of this higher education partnership also is critical to improving the outlook in international development. As President Obama explained in his speech, “On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries, and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs… All these things must be done in partnership.”
HED, funded by a cooperative agreement with USAID, was founded by the six major presidential U.S. higher education associations to engage U.S. colleges and universities in international development. Those associations are the American Council on Education, the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about HED, visit www.HEDprogram.org.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years. For more information on USAID, visit www.USAID.gov.
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