Higher Education Solutions Network - Quarterly Report

The report was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development and prepared by the staff of the Conflict and Development Lab at Texas A&M University. Major milestones and events completed during the quarter include finalizing and launching the ConDev website, initiating a joint capstone project between the Bush School at TAMU and the Université Catholique du Graben (UCG) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and selecting two winners for the Student Media Grants Program. ConDev also hosted a geo-coding workshop with AidData and highlighted the HESN program through a panel at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities conference. ConDev initiated activities on all three of its main objectives during the first quarter of year two. The first objective of informing better solutions to development challenges was addressed through collaboration with the USAID Missions in South Sudan, DRC, and Afghanistan. Proposed projects related to the Missions' in-country objectives were developed, including a market survey for South Sudan and a household analysis study for Afghanistan. USAID Washington facilitated communication between ConDev and the USAID Missions in country. The second objective of identifying and fostering development solutions was addressed by finalizing a standard process for evaluating prospective Innovations, Technologies, and Approaches (ITAs) for funding. ConDev also partnered with the Bush School of Government and Public Service and UCG to create a capstone course that will assess two development projects in Butembo, DRC. The course will compare the effectiveness of a public versus a private health clinic to combat malnutrition and evaluate the success of a training program at a youth employment center focusing on teaching former child soldiers and homeless children vocational skills. ConDev concentrated on the third objective of expanding the community of problem solvers to create a global network addressing development by engaging with TAMU, HESN members, and other institutions. ConDev worked with TAMU partners, the Bush School, the School of Rural Public Health, and Agricultural and Life Sciences to develop capstone projects and host guest lecturers. ConDev also engaged with members from HESN labs at William and Mary, UC Berkeley, Michigan State University, and Makerere University. A collaborative meeting resulted in a joint proposal being written, and ConDev supported UC Berkeley's Big Ideas competition by recruiting students, hosting information sessions, and providing individual consultations.