Over the last two years, 50 university presidents and vice presidents from 37 Ethiopian public universities have traveled to the United States to examine the leadership, management, and governance practices of leading US public universities including Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State Universities.
The goal of the two-week study experiences in 2022 and 2023 was to provide the participating university leaders with opportunities to reflect on their management practices and policies and gain inspiration for how to improve the administration of their institutions, according to the information from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa.
“This Leadership, Management, and Governance (LMG) program was funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented through a grant to the partner universities, led by Texas Tech. The program was developed and implemented in close collaboration between the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Education,” it said.
“On January 17 and 18, the university leaders who participated in the LMG program convened at the U.S. Embassy and the Skylight Hotel to share their best practices and lessons learned as they have attempted to implement the ideas generated through the exchange experiences at their institutions. The participants also heard from Fulbright Specialist Dr. Erich Dietrich, Vice Provost at New York University Abu Dhabi, brought to Ethiopia by the U.S. Embassy to share his expertise in the internationalization of universities.”
It is stated that the university leaders also discussed with the U.S. Embassy, Ministry of Education, and U.S. university partners what kinds of assistance would be most useful to Ethiopian universities as they transition to more autonomous governance structures.
“The United States has been a key partner in the development of Ethiopia’s higher education system throughout the 120 years of U.S. – Ethiopian bilateral relations. For example, in the 1950’s, U.S. universities and the U.S. government were pivotal in the development of Addis Ababa University and Jimma and Haramaya agricultural colleges under President Truman’s Point Four program.”
“Since then, dozens of U.S. universities have partnered with the Ministry of Education and Ethiopian public universities with an intensity and persistence unusual in Sub Saharan Africa. Together, U.S. and Ethiopian universities are collaborating to advance the quality of education in a wide range of fields including entrepreneurship, agriculture, peace building, public health, and other areas.”
As Ethiopia moves ahead with its transition of public universities to autonomous governance, the U.S. government is committed to being an essential partner to the Ministry and Ethiopia’s public universities.