Past International Development Initiatives
Addis Ababa Commercial College, Ethiopia
Middlesex faculty members traveled to this two-year college in Ethiopia's capital
in 1998 as part of a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded program to provide
advice and expertise to higher-education institutions in developing countries.
Azov Regional Management Institute (ARMI)
MCC implemented a three-year (2002-2004) U.S. State Departm
ent-funded project in collaboration with Azov Regional Management Institute (located
in Berdyansk, Ukraine) focusing on designing and implementing a variety of workforce
development programs to stimulate economic development in the region, particularly
within the tourism industry. The project also stressed Distance Learning.
Banking Training for the Kyrgyz Republic
Senior bankers from the Kyrgyz Republic attended a training program at MCC, funded
by the Eurasia Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nongovernmental organization that
supports institution-building programs in the former Soviet Union.
Community Partnerships Program, Berdyansk, Ukraine
MCC and the City of Lowell, with the help of the United States-Ukraine Foundation,
created a Community Partnerships Program with Berdyansk, a city located in southeast
Ukraine on the Azov Sea, that focuses on strategic planning, tourism development and
the municipal water supply.
Conflict Mediation Training Program, Cambodia
MCC's Law Center organized and ran a conflict-resolution and mediation training project
in Cambodia with the University of Phnom Penh's National Institute of Management from
1997-2002. Funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department, Fulbright Educational
Partnerships Program, this was at one time the only U.S.-funded educational program
in Cambodia.
Investigative Reporting in Bosnia-Herzegovina
This investigative-reporting training program for reporters from Bosnia, titled The
First Casualty is Truth: Investigative Reporting in Bosnia-Herzegovina, was funded
by World Learning, a Washington-based, nongovernmental organization that administers
the Transit Program for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The Middlesex-Marishane Exchange
Middlesex and the Marishane Senior Secondary School (MSSS) in Limpopo Province, South
Africa, worked in partnership to address the high level of violence against women
in South Africa through a two-year exchange sequence (2004-2006). This U.S. State
Department sponsored exchange project brought 12 Marishane educators to MCC to work
with faculty, staff and community experts, and Middlesex staff and community experts
visited South Africa. The overall completed goal was to create a Community Support
Center at MSSS, train teachers and counselors, and create age-appropriate curriculum
to reduce violence against women.
New Brunswick (Canada) Community College
Seeking to improve their business students' understanding of the U.S. market, New
Brunswick Community College (NBCC) in Bathhurst, Canada, developed an International
Trade and Commerce Program. This new program requires Canadian students to attend
one full semester of courses in the United States to gain appreciation and knowledge
about U.S. culture, history and business practices. Eight NBCC students attended Middlesex
during fall semester 2004, as part of this Canadian program. As of 2013 Middlesex
and NBCC are partners in the Deshpande Sandbox inistives.
New Horizons
MCC partnered with this Cambridge-based operating foundation to develop and implement
a career development and internship program for graduate students from Russia. Collaborating
Russian institutions included Bryansk State Technical University and Tyumen State
University of Law & Management. Eight fellows visited the U.S., two at Middlesex and
six at Bentley College.
Small Business Development Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
MCC and Addis Ababa Commercial College, in cooperation with the Lowell Small Business
Assistance Center, assisted in the development of a Small Business Development Center,
located in Ethiopia's capital, to meet the needs of new and expanding businesses (2000-2002).
Funded by the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development.
Strengthening the Free Voice of Armenia
This 2003-2004 partnership program with Yerevan State University (located in Armenia's
capital), focused on journalism curriculum development, faculty development and the
design and opening of a media center. Funded by the U.S. State Department, the program
was developed in collaboration with Northeastern University, Boston University, The Boston Globe, The Lowell Sun, WBZ-AM Radio, Lowell Telecommunications Corporation, and the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister
Cities Association.
Wider Horizons
For over 17 years MCC has hosted Wider Horizons in collaboration with the Lowell Public
Schools (LPS) and UMass Lowell. This unique extension of the Irish peace initiative
brings together young teachers in training from four institutions in Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland, half Protestant and half Catholic, to work in the LPS
Summer Program and the UMass Lowell National Youth Sports Program.
OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES
Community Colleges for International Development (CCID)
A membership organization that facilitates technical assistance projects in developing or transitioning countries.