2004 press releases

MEPI To Fund Seven University Partnerships

Fact Sheet

November 02, 2004

The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is pleased to announce awards to seven University Partnership grants. The grants will fund partnerships between U.S. and Arab universities and their economic and civil society partners, with the goals of both improving the quality of instruction, research, and materials, and enhancing Arab universities' administrative and managerial capacity. This is the second year of MEPI's University Partnership Program, managed by the Association Liaison Office (ALO) for University Cooperation in Development, funded through USAID.

The awards total $699,841 and will cover areas such as Information and Communication Technologies, American Studies, Business and Economics, and Media and Journalism. The selected partnerships are:

• Colorado State University and Helwan University(Egypt) to develop online courses integrating business administration and engineering education;
• Madonna University (Michigan) and Notre Dame University (Lebanon) to establish full-fledged American studies programs on both campuses;
• University of Michigan-Dearborn and Al-Quds University (West Bank) to link teaching and research on American Studies at the two universities;
• Duke University (North Carolina) and Effat College (Saudi Arabia) to produce the first engineering curriculum available to Saudi women;
• Montana State University and Al-Akhawayn University (Morocco) to enhance professional level teaching of information and communications technology;
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (Egypt) to build capacity in information and communication technology in computer-related courses; and
• Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and Institut de Presse et des Sciences de l'Information, Universite de la Manouba (Tunisia) to enhance professional level teaching of journalism and communication skills.

MEPI is a Presidential initiative founded to support economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the Middle East and expanded opportunity for all people of the region, especially women and youth. More information about MEPI can be found at: http://mepi.state.gov.