University Administration Support Program (UASP)

Education, Higher Education Development, Research Support, Africa, Asia, Eurasia

The University Administration Support Program (UASP) prepares open-minded, rising mid- and senior-level university administrators from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ukraine to implement the incremental changes that are at the foundation of a progressive management culture.

The program does this by providing fellowships of approximately eight weeks at public universities in the U.S., and by offering small grants for pilot projects after the fellows return to their home countries. UASP empowers participants to directly analyze U.S. models and management culture, and to consider possible solutions to management challenges they face in their home countries.

UASP was developed by IREX with generous support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Application Information

Project Activities

Fellowships in University Administration provide funding for mid- and senior-level administrators to spend approximately eight weeks at host universities in the United States. IREX places each visiting administrator with a counterpart at a respected U.S. university to work one-on-one on a specific university management topic. Administrators produce case studies on their topics to be presented at a workshop in Washington, DC. The fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis to eligible administrators.

Pilot Project Grants: After completion of their fellowships in the United States, the university administrators may apply for small grants to jumpstart innovative reform projects at their home universities. Past examples include establishing alumni chapters for the University of Education, Winneba throughout Ghana, creating a technology transfer center at Ilia State University in Georgia, and launching a research park at Uzhhorod National University in Ukraine.

Developing Partnerships between International and U.S. Universities: The program promotes collaboration and development of sustainable partnerships between among UASP fellows, their U.S. counterparts, and their institutions that result in new projects such as administrator and faculty exchanges, credit system recognition, and organization of international conferences.

UASP fellows focus on a broad range of management themes, many of which are new to the field of higher education management in their countries. Themes include: Alumni Relations, Community Relations, Faculty Development, Fundraising and Development, Human Resources Management, Information Systems, Integration of Teaching and Research, Quality Assurance, Research Management, Strategic Planning, Student Services, Technology Transfer, University Consortia, University Financing and Budget Management, University Governance/Trustees.