American Association of State Colleges and University [i.e. Universities] (AASCU)

Evaluation covers the period 12/87-5/90. Little if any measurable progress has been made toward the overall goal of increasing the involvement of AASCU/AASCARR institutions in Title XII projects. This is largely due to changes taking place in the development assistance scene, especially changes caused by shrinking funding: only AASCU/AASCARR institutions with the strongest programs and the highest commitment to the international dimensions of agriculture can successfully compete for shrinking development assistance funds. Findings in regard to specific activities are as follows. (1) The project has successfully developed a comprehensive and widely disseminated catalogue of the capabilities of AASCU/AASCARR institutions for development work, but it has not been able to identify institutions with unique capabilities for A.I.D. projects. (2) The fellows program, intended to provide AASCU/AASCARR faculty the opportunity to participate in ongoing A.I.D. projects, placed only 1 of 45 identified candidates in the field. (3) The workshops program proved a useful and potentially promising means of strengthening the capacity of AASCU/AASCARR institutions for work in international development. (4) The component to pilot test linkages with larger institutions proved unproductive. Action decisions are to: (1) abandon pilot testing of linkages and redirect funding to other project areas; (2) narrow the scope of the fellows program to the five most promising candidates; (3) continue capacity-building workshops; (4) update the AASCU database to identify unique capabilities of value to specific A.I.D. programs; and (5) broaden the scope of the project beyond agriculture.