Ambassador Tefft Meets With Participants Of The International Visitor Program On Higher Education Administration
On May 25, U.S. Ambassador John Tefft hosted a lunch for participants of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program on Higher Education Administration. Four rectors of leading Georgian universities attended the lunch together with a special guest from the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Pamela Smith, Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy Rowena Cross Najafi, and U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Assistants Magda Magradze and Sophie Bzishvili.
Five rectors of leading Georgian state universities - Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Chavchavadze State University; Tbilisi State Medical University; Georgian State Agricultural University; and Tbilisi State University Meskheti Branch - traveled to the U.S. for a 21-day program, April 14-May 5, 2007, to examine the U.S. system of higher education structure and administration. The rectors visited universities and campus offices in Washington, D.C., New York, NY; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; East Lansing, Michigan; and Boston, Massachusetts.
The program enabled the rectors to explore education as a tool of democratization and to examine the U.S. system of higher education structure and administration; visit public and private institutions related to higher education at the federal, state, and local levels; learn about the U.S. university funding models and sources; and explore the maintenance of standard in curriculum development, accreditation, grading, transfer policies, and other issues related to higher education management. As a result of the program, Georgian university administrators established valuable links with the U.S. higher education institutions and are currently working on development of joint partnership projects. |
