Universities can – and often do – play an important role in advancing the cause of international development (and public diplomacy). One program that works very well is USAID’swork with the organization Higher Education for Development (HED). HED uses USAID funds to create partnerships between US and overseas universities. These partnerships are focused on specific development goals and regions and are awarded through competitive RFAs. An example of such a partnership is Chicago-Kent College of Law with Technológico de Monterrey Law School in Mexico City to train Mexican judges, professors, attorneys and law students in criminal trial procedures. These partnerships can be useful as a way to deliver technical assistance to USAID priority areas – and such work is to be applauded. However, in order to make these true and equal partnerships, information and assistance should flow in both directions. Mexican judges, professors, attorneys and law students undoubtedly have a great deal of information to offer their counterparts in Chicago and one could imagine long-term research partnerships between the faculty at both law schools (I certainly hope no one would argue that US universities have a monopoly on knowledge and that we have nothing to learn from overseas partners) . That leads to the next element that is important in integrating universities into the work of development: these partnerships should be designed to last well beyond the initial USAID/HED funding (and it is my experience that the best proposals lay out a plan as to how the partneship will outlive the initial funding). Development projects come and go, but universities are among the most enduring institutions in history and it is therefore possible to craft long-term partnerships that can last for many decades. USAID and HED are doing an excellent job in including US universities in development programming – but universities must make sure that their involvement goes beyond delivering a service for a fee (technical assistance for government money, in this case) and that means that the universities have a responsibility to look beyond the immediate project and determine how their new partner can help them become a global institution. In short, USAID and HED are doing important work in helping universities to begin a relationship. Making that relationship a partnership that is both equal and enduring is hard work that falls to the universities, but work that can pay great dividends to all involved.
