EVALUATION OF THE EAST-WEST COMMUNICATION INSTITUTE

PROJ CONSISTED OF AN INSTITUTION-BLDG GRANT (6/22/71) & A CONTRACT (INVENTORY & ANALYSIS - 11/17/70), SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INFO SERVICE LINKING INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT ASIA & THE WORLD. BOTH THE GRANT & CONTRACT EXPIRE 6/30/74. A 5-MAN TEAM CONDUCTED A 2-WK ON-SITE EVAL OF EWCI. A MAJOR PROBLEM WAS THE SUCCESSION OF EWC DIRECTORS -- 3 IN LESS THAN 3 YRS. ALSO,THE SALARY STRUCTURE WAS LOW & THE INSTITUTE WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH ADEQUATE PHYSICAL SPACE TO DO ITS JOB PROPERLY. (EWCI STAFF ARE HOUSED IN DORMITORIES & TOILET ROOMS ARE USED TO STORE FILES.) EVALUATORS NOTE THAT THE FAILURE TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM COULD JEOPARDIZE FUTURE FUNDING. DESPITE THESE PROBLEMS,IEC COURSES,UNAVAILABLE ELSEWHERE,WERE CONDUCTED AT EWCI; THE FLOW OF IEC MATERIALS GREW AT AN UNEXPECTED PACE,AND IMPORTANT WORKSHOPS IN POP,EDUC,COMMERCIAL RESOURCES & COMMUNICATION WERE CONDUCTED. 96 LDC PROFESSIONALS FROM 26 COUNTRIES HAVE THUS FAR PARTICIPATED. EVAL TEAM TERMED THE LANGUAGE OF THE GRANT AS TOO SPECIFIC--DESIGNATING THE NUMBER OF TRNG ACTIVITIES,PARTICIPANTS & THE LENGTH OF ACTIVITIES. THE EVALUATORS CONCLUDE THAT EWCI HAS THE COMPETENCE TO DETERMINE SUCH FEATURES IN ITS PROG. THE TEAM RECOMMENDS THAT THE SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS FOR EWCI TRNG PROGS BE DETERMINED BY A FINAL INTERVIEW & NOT FROM CORRESPONDENCE ALONE--AS HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE. EWCI RESRCH SO FAR HAS CENTERED ON CASE STUDIES. FUNDING FOR EXPERIMENTAL RESRCH SHOULD ALSO BE PROVIDED. WITH REGARD TO ITS INFO SERVICES,THE TEAM RECOMMENDS THAT EWCI ISSUE A YRLY DIGEST OF THE BEST OF ITS BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS (CIR 2700). IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH,THE DIGEST SHOULD BE PUBLISHED IN 1 OTHER LANGUAGE. ALSO,EWCI SHOULD EXPLORE THE USE OF MICROFICHE. FINALLY,TEAM RECOMMENDS AN AUDIT--ESP SINCE THE VALUE OF SERVICES RECEIVED BY EWCI FROM UNIV OF HAWAII (IN RETURN FOR PAYMENT OF 20% OVERHEAD FROM CONTRACT FUNDS) IS IN QUESTION. DIRECT FUNDING TO EAST-WEST CTR SHOULD BE CONSIDERED.