2013 Myanmar Delegation

From February 24 – March 1, 2013, the Institute of International Education will lead representatives from ten U.S. colleges and universities on a delegation to Myanmar. The purpose of this delegation is to learn more about the current state of higher education in Myanmar and to explore potential partnership opportunities. Allan Goodman, President & CEO, will be leading the delegation, which will include visits to universities, organizations, and government entities in Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw. The delegation will include representation from the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy.

The ten participating institutions are: American University, Arizona State University, Ball State University, Hawaii Pacific University, Northern Arizona University, Rutgers University, Samford University, the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, and the University of Washington.

The February delegation is part of a broader IIE-wide Myanmar higher education initiative, launched in November 2012. The initiative takes a multi-pronged approach aimed at assisting this group of schools to build partnerships with institutions in Myanmar, while also helping the country rebuild its higher education capacity. The initiative includes a series of bi-national conference calls, the first of which took place on December 13, 2012 and a report on higher education needs in Myanmar that is expected to emerge from the delegation. A central part of the IIE initiative is the International Academic Partnership Program (IAPP) with Myanmar, a six-month program that assists colleges and universities in developing a strategic plan for partnering with counterparts in Myanmar. The program includes a series of informational webinars, a guided strategic planning exercise, expert mentorship, partnership resources, and the delegation to Myanmar. For more information about IAPP and a list of IAPP Myanmar Advisory Board members, visit the International Academic Partnership Program website.

In addition to discussing partnership priorities and other local higher education capacity needs, participants on the delegation plan to deliver public lectures at a number of Myanmar universities on a variety of topics deemed to be of critical need. These lectures will be open to educators and other university representatives, and will include companion materials translated into the Myanmar language. Some of the universities that the delegation seeks to visit are: Yangon University, Yangon Technological University, the Myanmar Institute of Theology, and Mandalay University.