BOONE–Appalachian State University has received a $231,427 grant from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Kurdistan and the U.S. Department of State to help universities in Kurdistan update their teaching practices.

The project is directed by Dr. Jesse Lutabingwa, associate vice chancellor for international education and development at Appalachian, Lori Mason, a doctoral student in Appalachian’s Reich College of Education, and Dr. Vachel Miller from the Reich College of Education.

Appalachian State University professors Melanie Greene, left, and Sara Zimmerman met recently with Dr. Idris Hadi Salih, Kurdistan’s minister of higher education and scientific research.
Professors from various academic disciplines at Appalachian are working with professors from universities in Kurdistan to help update their teaching practices. (Photo submitted)

The project addresses critical gaps in Kurdistan’s higher education system resulting from more than 30 years of wars and embargos. The Ministry of Higher Education, the State Department and the Kurdish universities recognize that the present curriculum must be reformed to provide students with the skills and abilities needed to address current and future needs of the country.

Beginning in March, Appalachian will host two faculty members from Kurdistan for three months in the Reich College of Education. In addition, Dr. Idris Hadi Salih, Kurdistan’s minister of higher education and scientific research, will visit Appalachian March 26–28.

“The presence of the faculty and Dr. Salih on our campus will reinforce and strengthen the bond between Appalachian and the higher education system in Kurdistan,” Lutabingwa said.

The collaborative project was conceived two years ago when Appalachian was invited to work with five public universities in curriculum reform. Appalachian proposed that each Kurdish university establish a university-based committee to oversee curriculum development efforts. These committees have worked closely with academic departments to identify the following priority disciplines to be addressed: biology, English, chemistry, computer science, sociology, dentistry, pharmacy, basic medical science, family medicine and civil engineering.

“Faculty members from Appalachian have been identified to provide discipline-specific expertise to work with their Kurdish counterparts,” Lutabingwa said. They are Dr. Steve Seagle and Dr. Max Dass, biology; Dr. Jeanne Dubino and Dr. James Ivory, English; Dr. Claudia Cartaya-Marin, Dr. Carol M. Babyak and Ms. Sammye Sigmann, chemistry; Dr. James Wilkes and Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, computer science; and Dr. Ed Folks and Mr. Andrew Ferguson, sociology.

Additionally, faculty members in the Reich College of Education are providing expertise in curriculum development. They are Dr. Sara Zimmerman, Dr. Dick Reidl, Dr. Barbara Bonham Dr. Melanie Greene and Miller.

“Faculty from N.C. State University, East Tennessee State University and the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association have been recruited to assist in curricula development in the engineering and medical disciplines,” Lutabingwa said.

“The U.S. faculty members will travel to Kurdistan to work one-on-one with the discipline specific curriculum committee, and Kurdish faculty members will travel to the United States to observe and learn how students in these disciplines are taught,” Mason said.

Zimmerman and Greene were the first to travel to Kurdistan to conduct workshops.

“Those of us who have had intimate conversations with the minister of higher education, university presidents, faculty and students in Kurdistan have had the opportunity to observe a country that will either continue to advance its educational system through means afforded by liberty or retreat into a past of oppression and tyranny,” said Zimmerman. “Hopefully, our work will stimulate further progress toward improvement, but ultimately it is Kurdistan’s responsibility, desires and will that will determine its educational destiny.”

The opportunity to travel to an unfamiliar county to assist her Kurdish counterparts had a particular appeal for Greene.

“I wanted to use my professional expertise to make a difference in the world,” she said. “My recent trip to Kurdistan provided me with the occasion to do just that. I was afforded the opportunity to present numerous workshops focusing on curriculum theory, development and assessment to professors from 10 different disciplines. These workshops were designed to inform professors of strategies available for upgrading their programs to produce ‘market ready’ graduates who could ultimately help rebuild their war-torn country. This was a life changing experience for me. I hope that my work there will indeed make a difference. Only time will tell.”

For more information, contact Lutabingwa in the Office of International Education and Development at 828-262-2046 or lutabingwajl@appstate.edu.

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