New TIEC Project in Saudi Arabia

TIEC has recently begun work on the design and development of a new institution in Saudi Arabia. The project is at an initial stage, and more details will be published in the next issue of the Gazette.

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1997 marked the ten-year anniversary of the "Oita in Texas" program between Austin, Texas and Oita Prefecture, Japan. This year’s group of visitors included 32 students, seven teachers, and one interpreter.

The annual program conducted in Austin, Texas for high school students from Oita Prefecture, Japan, is a two-week summer program providing students and accompanying teachers with English language instruction, cultural and social activities, and field trips. Endorsed by the Governor of the Prefecture, the Honorable Morihiko Hiramatsu, the program has brought more than 600 students and teachers to Texas.

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Having recently completed its first full year of operations, the American University of Baku (AUB) in Baku, Azerbaijan, continues to expand its services and capabilities. AUB is a private, American-style university offering programs in Business Management, International Relations, and Computer Science. AUB is now expanding into elementary and secondary education. A fully operational kindergarten has opened, and a high school curriculum is being designed.

TIEC continues to develop, administer, and operate the academic programs for AUB, including the design of curricula; the provision of key administrators; the recruitment and assignment of faculty; the procurement of equipment, materials, and books; and general assistance with management, fund raising, and international relationships. More than twenty-five TIEC academic faculty and administrators have participated in the development or delivery of programs at AUB. The current Rector is Dr. Donald E. Bowen, former President of Stephen F. Austin State University. Seven other TIEC faculty are teaching in Baku this academic year.

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In 1997, TIEC provided technical assistance and management consulting services to the Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) in Lilongwe. Funded through a World Bank loan to the government of Malawi for the Second Institutional Development Project, TIEC provided two experts, William Andrew Canterbury II (Southwest Texas State University) in Business Management, and Dr. John T. Masten (Tennessee State University) in Training, Consulting, and Research Techniques. TIEC technical assistance included designing and developing management training courses, advising MIM staff on their consulting and research activities, and participating in management development and research projects. Canterbury spent six months in Lilongwe. Dr. Masten’s full year at MIM came through TIEC’s collaboration with the Southeast Consortium for International Development (SECID) on this project.

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A group of 10 Japanese secondary school teachers of English arrived at TIEC in August 1997 to spend a full semester studying English language teaching with the Texas Intensive English Program (TIEP), a wholly owned subsidiary of TIEC.

Sponsored by the Japanese Government and its Ministry of Education, groups of junior high and senior high school English teachers from Japan have received training in the English language, training in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language, and participated in social and cultural activities with TIEP since 1989. This is the second group to spend a full semester in this successful program.

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TIEC has completed a successful experiment operating the American English Language Program (AELP) in Dakar, Senegal, for the United States Information Service (USIS). Begun in November 1995, TIEC conducted English Language courses and training at beginning and advanced levels for more than 700 enrollees each term under the direction of Ms. Karen Easterday. Other related services in professional translation were offered to individuals and companies. The AELP was operated under a cooperative agreement with USIS on a self-sustaining basis with no financial support from USIS. This was the only example of its kind among USIS English activities across the world. USIS policy changes led to the conclusion of the agreement in January 1998, and the USIS has resumed direct management of the AELP.

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TIEC recently completed a feasibility study for a new, private university in Doha, Qatar. The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development approached TIEC for advice on the design of a private, American style university in the capital city, Doha, (after learning of a similar project TIEC completed for the design of Al-Akhawayn University (AUI) in Ifrane, Morocco).

TIEC assembled a study team to review the market potential and determine the design parameters for a new university in Qatar. The team was led by Dr. Bill Franklin, TIEC President and included Dr. Nick Poulton, TIEC Executive Vice-President, Dr. William Lasher, Vice-Provost and Associate Professor of Higher Education at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Joseph Stafford, Executive Associate for Planning and Academic Programs at The University of Texas System Office, Mr. Glenn Dowling, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Institutional Research at the Texas A&M University System Office, and Dr. Safwan Benjelloun, President of Cybernetica, an information technology company, in Rabat, Morocco.

The study began with a market analysis based on demographic research, consultations with businesses and government, plus a survey of parents of prospective university students. The final report included the market analysis results, an academic program profile for the new campus, estimated facility needs for all academic and support operations, financial operating plan and projection for five years, and recommendations for implementation. The recommended design also included a research institute affiliated with prominent U.S. universities.
The Feasibility Study was presented to the Foundation in July 1997.

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In 1997, TIEC completed the fourth curriculum development project with the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL). TIEC assisted the Faculty of Biological Sciences to review and revise curricula in Biology, Food Science, and Microbiology. Nine Texas faculty members worked in three teams with counterparts in Monterrey, Mexico, to define the desired knowledge and skills for graduates and review existing curricula and pedagogy. Then programs were redesigned to include new courses, new teaching techniques, new course syllabi and laboratory experiences, and specification of needed faculty characteristics. The TIEC faculty came from seven Texas institutions including: Prairie View A&M University, Tarleton State University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Houston, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, and The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

In the course of the four curriculum reform efforts, more than 60 TIEC faculty have worked in teams with over 100 colleagues at UANL. Many productive linkages have been established between Texas universities and UANL through these activities.

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1998 marks the final year of a three-year affiliation grant between TIEC and the International Institute for Higher Education in Morocco (IIHEM), sponsored by The United States Information Agency (USIA). The affiliation grant has enabled reciprocal faculty exchanges between IIHEM and TIEC since 1996.

IIHEM and six TIEC affiliated universities have participated in this exchange program in which three economics faculty from Texas universities spend one month each year in Morocco, and two Moroccan economics faculty spend one month each year visiting Texas universities. The visits are designed to enhance the respective academic program and research interests.

The faculty from Texas universities traveling to Morocco in May 1998 include Dr. Michael Patrick, Chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Texas A&M International University, Dr. Sigmund Horvitz, Professor of Economics at Texas Southern University, and Dr. Craig Depken, II, Assistant Professor of Economics at The University of Texas at Arlington.

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TIEC and IIHEM, the International Institute for Higher Education in Morocco, are expanding their collabora-tion in masters level business programs by adding a degree in Management Information Systems to the current MBA opportunities.

Initially, the MIS option will be available at The University of Texas at Arlington and one additional campus of The University of Texas System. Three other campuses also participate in the MBA program making five campuses in all. They are Texas A&M International University, Sam Houston State University, and Southwest Texas State University. The MBA program is described in a related article in this issue.

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Ten students have become the first MBA graduates of the program of academic collaboration between TIEC and IIHEM, the International Institute for Higher Education in Morocco. In August 1997, three students graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington, and seven students graduated from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos.

The collaborative effort between IIHEM and TIEC is now entering its fourth year of operation. The first half of the program leading to the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Management Information Systems degrees is taught by IIHEM in Rabat, Morocco. The course syllabi are approved by the participating Texas universities. The faculty, most of whom are trained in the U.S., are approved as adjunct faculty by the Texas universities. Students then complete the remaining half of their degree program at one or more of the five participating universities in Texas in the course of two consecutive academic terms or two summer terms.

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After a nationwide search, Dr. Nick L. Poulton began full-time service as the Executive Vice-President of TIEC, effective January 1, 1997.

TIEC is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors authorized the purchase of Dexter Hall in Austin, Texas. Dexter Hall has housed TIEC’s administrative offices since December, 1993, and has been the home of the Texas Intensive English Program for the past 30 years.

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TIEC continues to welcome to Austin guests from around the world. Visitors to TIEC in 1997 included:

• Dr. El Madani Belkhadir, Recteur, Université Mohammed 1er, Oujda, Morocco.
• Dr. Saâd Kabbaj, President, IIHEM, Rabat, Morocco.
• Dr. Safwan Benjelloun, President, Cybernetica, Rabat, Morocco.
• Dr. Mohammed Belhaj, Coordinator, Undergraduate Programs, IIHEM, Rabat, Morocco.
• Dr. Ahmed Zekri, Professor, IIHEM, Rabat, Morocco.
• Honorable Dane Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Senegal.
• Habib Sy, Directeur de Cabinet, Cabinet du Ministre d’Etat auprès du Président de la République du Sénégal.
• Mouhamadou Bachir Gaye, UN Office for Project Services, Dakar, Senegal.
• Dr. Indur Fagoonee, Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius.
• Dr. Saleha Mahmood-Abedin, Director, Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs, London. Professor, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Dr. Rufaida Khashoggi, Vice Dean, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
• Rashid M. Al Mazroui, Al Mazroui Trading & General Services L.L.C., Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• Dr. Abdul Hamid Hallab, Interim Chancellor, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
• Zafar Iqbal, President, SAI Institute of Studies, Pakistan.
• Dr. Larisa Lemberanskaya, Assistant to the President on Scientific Affairs, American University in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Loredana Maravic´ Purgar, Advisor, Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Croatia.
• Yoshihisa Maehara, Unit Chief, Ministry of Education, Japan.
• Katsunori Hara, Overseas Programs Manager, The Tokyo Center for Language and Culture, Tokyo, Japan.
• Maria Elena Levalle, Associate, Casoc, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Alicia Lopez, Associate, Casoc, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• José C. Pérez Díaz, Chief of the Dept. of Purchasing, Concessions and Warehousing, Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico.
• Raúl Alberto Cepeda Vega, Coordinador de Concessiones, Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico.
• Santiago Cabazos Roel, Librería y Papelería Bachiller, Monterrey, Mexico.
• Saul Solis Rubalcava, Copimex de Monterrey, Mexico.