JMU gets $600K grant to aid Iraqi university business programs

A pair of Iraqi universities will get help from James Madison University to gain accreditation for their business programs.

The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery and the College of Business at JMU have received a $629,513 grant to provide information and guidance through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The work will take place at Salahaddin University in Erbil, and at Al Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad.

CISR, working closely with the JMU College of Business, will develop a training program to give Iraqi business faculty skills to better prepare their students for the developing private sector. Guidance provided by JMU faculty will help lay the groundwork for accreditation activities.

The Iraqi university participants will gain a greater perspective on subjects specific to finance/business education, enabling them to enhance their degree programs. Faculty will be able to better link scholarship and professional application, while also enhancing their classroom and administrative skills by becoming knowledgeable about current teaching practices, curriculum development, classroom management and student engagement.

The program will help the universities attract and retain high-quality faculty and students and better meet the challenges of anticipated future demand placed on higher education institutions in Iraq. The improvements will also enhance student learning and contribute to a better learning experience for students at the two selected universities. The training and mentoring program will ultimately help partner universities start down the path to accreditation, and future reaccreditation, of their finance and business programs.

The grant is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development and is part of a larger USAID initiative to directly contribute to Iraqi Private Sector Development. USAID is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. The $629,513 grant includes $129,528.15 in-kind support from James Madison University.