The United States has contracted the University of Indiana and the University of Massachusetts ‘ Center for International Education to help reform universities in Afghanistan. The two will partner together with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance to 18 Afghanistan universities.Together, they will work with Afghanistan’s Minister of Higher Education to provide assistance with program change, budgeting, management, and strategic development to help meet the country’s higher education initiative. Priority will go to retraining teachers, providing internet access, and developing a modern library. Two masters programs will be developed; English and Public Policy/Administration. A teaching program provides a 4 year training program for new teachers.
Afghan Universities are praising the move, saying that it is essential that Afghan students move into to the 21st century. Speaking English, learning web based applications and having access to books, are all listed as major contributions towards that goal.
Currently, there are 22 universities in Afghanistan. They run on a combined budget which amounts to only about 1.5% of the countries entire budget. USAID will be providing an additional $20 million dollars. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Higher Education said that additional money is a great asset because, up till now, a higher education was considered by most Afghans as being a luxury. One of the goals is to put a higher education in the reach of every Afghan student.
The University of Massachusetts will receive a $9.9 million grant from USAID to help offset their costs.
To learn more about Massachusetts University please visit www.umass.edu. ]]>
It was unexpected, it came out of nowhere. The capitol city of Virginia (Richmond) held its breath in anticipation and disbelief. It was a miracle that this underdog team made it to March madness in the first place. Then the VCU Rams made it into the Sweet Sixteen. Critics thought that this would be the end of the line for the Rams. But, supporters held onto their faith. Faith paid off and now the Rams are going to the Final Four. Needless to say, celebrations erupted throughout the capitol city.The team returned home on Monday after winning the Southwest Regional Championship. They carried their trophy proudly into the packed Siegel Center (home of the VCU Rams). It had been a grueling competition. The team was exhausted. But that didn’t stop them from making a late night stop to meet their fans. It was one in the morning and fans had been waiting in the packed stadium for hours. The crowd went wild as the team entered. The Rams were rejuvenated and are now ready to take on the top three teams in March Madness.
The Rams never thought they would make it this far. In fact, they didn’t even think they would make it to March Madness. They were watching the Cartoon Network when it was revealed that they were called. They made it to the Final Four after beating out Kansas University 71 -61. They are now being called the Cinderella team of the decade.
All this media attention and fanfare has meant millions of dollars for both VCU and the city of Richmond. On Monday, fans lined the block in hopes of getting their hands on a piece of Rams memorabilia. The VCU website has reported a surge in visitation and next semester’s admission has increased. Local restaurants and pubs are also raking in profits as fans hang out to watch the games.
VCU is best known for its’ teaching program and related hospital facility. The Medical College of Virginia (MCV) is the only teaching hospital in the area. As such, it is the only hospital to offer free medical care to the needy. MCV consists of a trauma center, a heart center, women’s center, and children’s psychiatric center.
To learn more about VCU and the Rams, visit www.vcu.edu
To learn more about MCV, visit www.vcuhealth.org
]]>
