Joint tripartite evaluation of Institute of Postgraduate Studies in Agriculture project (subproject of technical resources II and agricultural research II projects)

The project is coordinated by a tripartite group consisting of USAID, the BDG, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). USAID"s support to the project is implemented by Oregon State University (OSU). This evaluation was a mid-term evaluation for JICA and the final evaluation for USAID, and was conducted by an OSU, Government of Japan/JICA, and BDG team on the basis of interviews, document reviews, and site visits. The project made good progress in establishing the foundation for a strong postgraduate program in teaching, research, and outreach at IPSA. The TA team from OSU has contributed to the development of the institution in the areas of social science, institution building, and administration. Two priority recommendations were made by the evaluation team. (1) Passage of the IPSA Ordinance by the BDG is necessary because it will provide IPSA with full autonomy and authorize IPSA as a degree granting institution. The Ordinance will replace the present Management Committee with a Board of Regents, which can make several important decisions about IPSA"s operations and development. (2) The lack of academic, administrative, and support staff at IPSA is a continuing problem and has had a negative impact on the academic as well as administrative program. Vacant faculty and staff positions at IPSA should be filled as soon as possible. In addition to these two priority recommendations, there were 15 other recommendations dealing with: institutional linkages between IPSA, Kyushu University, and OSU; continual development of the outreach program; development of a management information system; completion of the Five Year Plan for IPSA; development of faculty housing; strengthening of the curriculum; providing merit scholarships; and increasing linkages to neighboring research institutes. The major lesson learned is that the close cooperation among IPSA, USAID/OSU, and JICA reinforced the institution in a significant manner. (Author abstract)