Ball State University Projects to
Strengthen Higher Education in
Afghanistan and Pakistan
Dr. Kenneth Holland
Director, Center for International Development
Ball State University
January 8, 2013
Hawaii International Conference on Education
Ball State University
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Founded in 1918.
Located in Muncie, Indiana.
Student body of 22,000.
Seven academic colleges and 47 academic
departments offering bachelor’s, master’s and
doctoral degrees in more than 200 subjects.
• Center for International Development
established in 2010.
Origin of Funding
• In spring 2009, newly elected President Barack
Obama announced a “civilian surge” to
strengthen the government of Afghanistan.
• President Obama stated that the instability in
Afghanistan cannot be separated from instability
in Pakistan.
• In the subsequent appropriation, the U.S.
Congress provided funds to the State Department
to support partnerships between U.S. and Afghan
and Pakistani universities.
Purpose of Academic Partnerships
• Congressional funding was provided to the
State Department under the Fulbright-Hays
Act, whose purpose is to foster “mutual
understanding between the people of the
United States and those of other countries.”
• This initiative, therefore, falls under the Public
Diplomacy efforts of the State Department.
not the United States Agency for International
Development, which has a separate higher
education assistance program.
Afghanistan and Pakistani Partnership
Grants
• The State Department awarded grants to U.S.
universities to link up with Afghan institutions
beginning in 2010.
• The State Department awarded grants to U.S.
universities to link up with Pakistani
institutions beginning in 2012.
Afghan Partnerships, Awarded 2010-2012
U.S. University
Afghan University
Discipline
Ball State University
Kandahar University
Career Services and
Entrepreneurship
Ball State University
Khost University
Journalism
Ball State University
Six Afghan Universities
English Language Training
San Jose State University
Balkh University
Journalism
San Jose State University
Herat University
Journalism
The University of Arizona
Nangarhar University
Journalism
The University of Nebraska- Kabul University
-Omaha
Journalism
Indiana University
Kabul Education University
Establishing a Master’s
degree program in TESOL
Indiana University
Ministry of Higher
Education
Implementing a National
English Curriculum
Pakistani Partnerships, Awarded 2012
U.S. University
Pakistani University
Discipline
Ball State University
Quaid-i-Azam University
American Studies
Ball State University
Isra University
Business Administration
San Jose State University
Allama Iqbal Open
University
Distance Education
The University of Texas-Austin
Fatima Jinnah Women’s
University
Southern Methodist
University
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto
Women University
Behavioral Sciences and
Communication and Media
Studies
Psychology
The University of North
Texas
National University of
Modern Languages
English
The University of Kentucky
Consortium of Five
Universities in the KPK
Province
University of Gujrat
Business Administration
The University of
Oklahoma
Mass Communications and
Media
Areas of Collaboration
• Faculty exchange
– Ball State faculty go to Afghanistan, Pakistan and
third countries, such as Malaysia, to conduct
workshops
– Afghan and Pakistani faculty come to Ball State for
workshops
• Student exchange
– Afghan and Pakistani graduate students come to
the U.S. and Malaysia
– No Ball State students have gone to Afghanistan or
Pakistan
Areas of Collaboration
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Joint research
Improvement in library services
Curriculum development
Teaching by Digital Video Conferencing (DVC)
Updating teaching methods (from lecture
method to student-centered approach)
• Improvements in academic administration
Levels of Funding and Project Duration
• The initial grant is typically for $1 million
• Project duration is typically three years
• The U.S. embassies in Kabul and Islamabad,
however, can add funds and extend the
project duration
• Some projects have grown to $1.4 million and
received a one-year extension
Sustainability
• In Afghanistan, the U.S. embassy requires that
the projects be Afghan-led, support transition
of lead responsibility for security from the U.S.
to Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and be
sustainable
• Sustainability is also a goal of Public
Diplomacy grants in Pakistan
USAID Funding
• Funding is also available from USAID to
support the development of higher education
in Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Ball State does not yet have USAID funding
but is exploring opportunities in both
countries
• USAID projects tend to be much larger than
State Department ones
World Bank and Asian Development
Bank Funding
• Two International Financial Institutions, the
World Bank and the Asian Development Bank,
also support the strengthening of higher
education in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
including Technical and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET)
• Ball State has submitted two proposals for
World Bank funding in Afghanistan, totaling
$6.4 million
Challenges
• More than 80% of university teachers in
Afghanistan only have a bachelor’s degree.
• Salaries are very low at Afghan universities.
• Universities in both countries are underresourced.
• Internet is unavailable or slow in Afghanistan.
• Because of security concerns, movement in the
two countries can be difficult and expensive.
• Afghanistan presents a language barrier.
Future of State Department Opportunities to
Partner with Universities in Developing Countries
• The Public Affairs Section of U.S. embassies in several
post-conflict countries and emerging democracies,
including Burma, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan are interested in supporting
people-to-people diplomacy, including partnerships with
U.S. universities.
• These linkages are a proven vehicle for promoting mutual
understanding between the American people and the
peoples in these nations critical to the world’s stability.
• In 2013, there will be a new emphasis on public
diplomacy in sub-Saharan Africa, in order to forestall the
spread of al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist
influences.
Conclusion
• Ball State University is one of the nation’s
leading universities in the development of the
higher education sector in post-conflict
countries and emerging democracies.
• Ball State’s Center for International
Development is expected to grow substantially
in the near future to meet these challenges,
so important to the national interest of the
United States.