Mission

As the economy continues to go through peaks and valleys, many questions arise about the changing nature of higher education. Will mediums change, how will institutions change (or survive), and what type of learning environment will prepare students for the future? Under the topic of higher education and the recession, The Economist recently published an article with the title, "It still pays to study." The author cites the OECD's studies on the impact of learning on earning. According to the OECD: the more education, the better. After taking in to account tuition, years off for studying, and taxes, individuals still benefit in terms lifetime earnings. In terms of publicly funded education, taxpayers benefit from the subsidies based on this additional taxes paid over a lifetime of higher earnings. Given the financial crisis and the rapid rate at which universities are cutting budgets, the author speculated, "It may be worth rethinking the wisdom of ever-expanding higher education. But not this year."

The analysis represents a larger trend in higher education, where the benefits are measured by this rate of return analysis. The benefits to individuals and to taxpayers are reduced to one criteria: lifetime earnings. This narrow framework ignores the immense social benefits that are generated from research in many areas, but especially in medical sciences and engineering. Individual rates of return do not account for social health benefits, civic engagement, and other higher order benefts that result from higher education. Economists are often uncomfortable with the attempt to measure social rates of return because the reliability is not as strong as individual rates of return. In other words, there is no accepted model. As higher education continues to adapt during these economic conditions, it will be important to focus on these social rates of return. Not only does it show a greater value of the institution, it makes the institution more valuable to the degree that universities are committed to benefiting society in concrete, measurable ways. This can range from providing services in health and education to producing invaluable research to help solve problems that do not yet exist.

Labels: degree value, higher education, rate of return, recession, research, universities

Connecting universities with the overarching focus on reducing poverty is not a common refrain. It does not appeal to common sense to argue that the most impoverished areas of the world need higher education. However, in terms of long-term growth and the ability to find local solutions for local problems, higher education has the ability to contribute a piece of the puzzle in the fight against poverty.

This notion was featured in a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education: African Universities Tackle the Continent's Agricultural Crisis. The agricultural crisis is highlighted by a disease that is attacking cassava, a staple root crop common to the region. Farmers are not sure what to do about the disease and the research infrastructure that would develop a disease resistant variety is very weak. Because universities house and incubate the type of research to combat these types of problems, many parts of the African continent have been weakened by decades of constructed neglect of university education by donor agencies.

However, there are small, but positive developments that are creating a foundation for the type of network needed to respond to these agricultural problems. One scientist in East Africa, mentioned in the article, has planted about 40 different cassava varieties, some selected for their disease or insect resistance, others for their quality roots. The scientist and other students are creating hybrids that combine the best traits of different plants to build up their susceptibilities to disease. Local farmers are then able to test the varieties in their fields.

The image shown here is a photo I took of a woman outside of Kampala, Uganda. She is standing next to drying g nuts, an important source of protein, but another vulnerable plant variety. Other farmers like herself could lose an important source of income and nutrition without the infrastructure to combat evolving diseases. The model of utilizing the university for the good of the public is perhaps more visible in Africa than many other regions of the world. The benefits that come from investing in university research greatly surpass those who actually attend the university. These social benefits, highlighted by the fundamental issue of producing crops, are directly linked to reducing poverty.

-Christopher S. Collins

Labels: Africa, cassava, poverty reduction, research, universities

From Starbucks to baristas at McDonalds and the emergence of the fair trade label, I wonder how many people ever contemplate the journey of the coffee in their cup. Through a deeper study of higher education in developing countries, I found a unique partnership between Michigan State University, Texas A&M, the University of Rwanda, and USAID. The Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages (PEARL) assisted the nation of Rwanda in its efforts to rebuild from the aftermath of the war and genocide of 1994. PEARL works with rural communities across Rwanda to generate income through agricultural product development and market linkages. The project trained 17 faculty members from Rwanda at MSU and Texas A&M, assisted in curriculum development at the University of Rwanda, established an outreach center where coffee farmers in Rwanda can glean knowledge created in the university setting, and implemented washing station and cupping technology for coffee co-operatives.

While visiting MSU, I visited a CEO of a coffee company who was one of the first buyers. He showed me the whole coffee production process and spoke about his reasoning for buying coffee from Rwanda. You can buy specialty Rwandan coffee at Whole Foods or on the Paramount website.

In speaking with both students from Rwanda and program administrators, it seems clear that one of the most successful components of the project stems from the diffusion of the mission of a land grant college. From its inception, MSU was designed to be of service to its surrounding community and to transfer knowledge from the laboratory to the farmland. This land grant mission is now taking on a global flavor. The model seems to be an appropriate way for universities in developing countries to facilitate education in a way that links university knowledge, human capacity building, and technology transfer to communities in a way that reduces poverty. The participants in the co-operatives assisted by PEARL and all of its participants provide a model representation of how we can move away from the ivory tower university and move toward a more globally responsive land grant mission.

Labels: coffee, development, Rwanda, universities