October 22, 2018

Ball State University is partnering with O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat, India, to develop the skills of college faculty in Afghanistan.

The two universities have been awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Kabul through the Regional Afghan Junior Faculty Development Program. The project continues Ball State’s efforts in the strengthening of higher education in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

As part of Afghan Faculty Forum for Enrichment, Collaboration and Training (AFFECT), Ball State will host a group of Afghan junior faculty members for a 10-week professional development program at O.P. Jindal.

AFFECT will present participants with an innovative, interactive forum for course development, student engagement, student-centered teaching, curriculum development, and English instruction, as well as providing insight into the American system of higher education.

Expected outcomes from this program include aiding participants in their professional development, acculturation to U.S. educational and cultural expectations, establishing opportunities for sustainable mentoring relationships, opportunities to audit U.S. style courses, and to aid participants in development of an action plan and academic product for implementation upon their return to Afghanistan.

JGU located at Sonipat, Haryana, India, just outside New Delhi, is one of the top-rated research-intensive social science universities in South Asia. Deeply committed to its core institutional values, the university has been awarded the highest grade, A, by the National Accreditation & Assessment Council (NAAC) of India.

JGU has previously conducted capacity building programs for more than 40 Afghan civil servants on a World Bank-funded project and has a strong reputation for upgrading skills of working professionals from developing countries through executive education courses.