Announcement of UArizona subcontract for USAID Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program

The University of Arizona will be providing leadership programming and higher education training opportunities to support current and future community leaders from Burma (Myanmar) around Southeast Asia.

Arizona International (AZI), in partnership with faculty and staff from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences' Human Rights Program (HRTS), Cultural and Inclusive Experiential Learning Opportunities (CIELO), the College of Education (COE), and the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences (CALES) all worked together on the initial proposal and have begun work on the next steps in implementation.

Dan Xayaphanh (CIELO) and Dr. Judy Kiyama (COE) will lead the development and implementation of a Community Engaged Inclusive Leadership Program for all DISP participants. Collaborating with local community leaders in the region, participants will learn about service learning and community engagement. Participants will be tasked with developing and implementing their own service-learning projects in their communities, with UA mentors drawn from staff, faculty, and advanced students to scaffold learning over the course of the DISP.

Dr. Hillary Vance (AZI) will work with other subcontractors on the DISP to identify and promote relevant UArizona international higher education opportunities to DISP participants, which may include enrollment in UArizona virtual degree programs, certificates, and non-credit options, as well as possible enrollment in dual degrees at UArizona Microcampus partners in Southeast Asia including the American University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia and Sampoerna University in Indonesia.

This opportunity also builds on the extensive networks and existing collaborations with Burma of Professors Dr. Bill Simmons (HRTS) and Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons (CALES), who have been instrumental in providing contextual understanding of Burma and the targeted populations. Drs. Simmons and Fitzsimmons will continue to work with AZI to identify and develop custom programming for DISP participants, in particular in the areas of Human Rights and Agriculture.

For more information on the USAID Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program click here.