Notre Dame’s Beijing Global Gateway and Mumbai Global Center set the stage for success on a joint project between Notre Dame and Balkh University in Afghanistan. Faculty and staff from both institutions were able to meet at these locations to work together, an easier arrangement than traveling to each other’s countries.
In 2016, the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a two-year, $1.15 million grant to the Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD) and the Stayer Center for Executive Education to help Balkh University develop a master’s program in finance and accountancy. The partnership between the universities was supported under USAID’s University Support and Workforce Development Program and implemented by FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organization based in Washington, D.C.
NDIGD served as administrative lead on this project, coordinating and overseeing the project’s logistics on campus and abroad. The Stayer Center directed the academic side of the project, recruiting faculty and staff from the Mendoza College of Business and the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning. Notre Dame International provided logistical and facility support for the residencies held in Beijing and Mumbai where faculty met to develop the new academic programs. This past fall, a special ceremony was held at Balkh University to celebrate the first cohort of MFA graduates.
Read about one of the Notre Dame faculty members who participated in the project with Balkh University, Alex Ambrose