The Office of International Development (OID) at Indiana University plays a vital role in shaping the university’s global impact. Operating within the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs (OVPIA), or IU Global, OID is dedicated to supporting institutions in the Global South, by focusing on collaborations across a variety of regions across Africa, South America, Central America, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia. Towards realizing these collaborations, OID seeks external funding opportunities from U.S. government agencies, international foundations, and European organizations, channeling these resources for IU faculty and community to engage globally to make a meaningful difference in institutional and human capacities.
OID’s unique approach to institutional development includes faculty exchanges, collaborative research, and capacity-building initiatives aimed at helping partner institutions improve their educational, research and organizational systems. Recent key programs demonstrate the office’s commitment to fostering growth in higher education and leadership development across the globe.
One of these programs is the Partnership for Higher Education Reform (PHER), a collaboration with the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, which is working to support Vietnam’s efforts to modernize its higher education system. Funded by USAID, this initiative will conclude in February 2025 after completing a series of activities with three corporations and more than a dozen universities in Vietnam. Another successful program led and implemented by OID, LASER PULSE, focused on long-term assistance and university-led solutions in countries like Laos and Northern Iraq, as well as leading workshops in Ethiopia and Uganda on research for development (R4D) and university research engagement capacity strengthening. OID also led Indiana University’s Institute of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a flagship program with the U.S. Department of State, that provided 150 young African leaders from over 25 sub-Saharan African countries, developing their civic leadership skills through academic study, skill-building workshops, and collaboration with Americans.
Further emphasizing OID’s commitment to fostering leadership in emerging economies, the PiBELT program facilitated partnerships two universities in Ethiopia, Ivy Tech Community college and IU developing institutions and capacities for business entrepreneurship and leadership transformation. OID also engaged in collaborations that did not require a passport to participate: Global Voices for Change was a program that involved virtual conversations with UN Sustainable Development Goals activists worldwide, exemplifying OID’s ongoing dedication to driving progress.
Moving forward, OID remains committed to building sustainable, high-impact connections with institutions in the Global South and IU faculty. In 2023, OID established a steering committee and commissioned a comprehensive study to answer the question: “What should be the direction of institutional development and collaboration at IU?” The study, completed in February 2024, surveyed over 400 individuals across IU and revealed that a majority were unaware of the roles and impact of both OVPIA and OID, and that more communication about OID’s initiatives and successes was needed. OID has since been involved with translating the recommendations from the study into new events and programs and looks forward to sharing the finalized recommendations later this school year.
One way OID is addressing this need for increased visibility is by launching the “International Development Voices for Change” series—essentially a “fireside chat” aimed at IU faculty and staff engaged with universities and organizations in the Global South on collaborations to share their experiences, and IU’s role in changing lives in institutions and communities in the Global South. This series involves conversations covering topics like what strategies lead to successful grant proposals, effective ways of managing international projects, how to induce partnerships with institutions in the Global South, and IU’s role as a change agent.
The first event will take place on Thursday, November 7, 2024, featuring two esteemed guests: Anh Ngoc Tran, a professor at O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and LaVonn Schlegel, the Executive Director of Accreditation and Strategic Initiatives at the Kelley School of Business. They will be reflecting on their experiences and talking about IU’s impact in the Middle East and Vietnam.
This chat series is just one example of how OID is facilitating change by bringing practical insights to the forefront, ensuring that its work continues to have a lasting, positive impact both locally and globally. Through these efforts, OID remains a significant contributor to IU’s mission to serve not only the state but also communities across the world.
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