The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has invested $1.6 million to support the Center of Excellence for International Engagement and Development. This is one of three centers established when the nineteen 1890 land-grant universities celebrated the 125th anniversary of the signing of the Second Morrill Act of 1890, which established these institutions.
While the CEIED will be hosted at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the Center will serve all 1890 institutions (19). The UMES Center’s administration will work seamlessly with the 1890 Universities Foundation, an Executive Committee comprising representatives of nine universities, and a governing board with representatives from each of the nineteen universities. An external technical advisory board will also support the center.
The CEIED intends to engender a dynamic, collaborative partnership of the 1890 institutions and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The partnership will leverage the collective capacity of the partner institutions and their domestic and international partners to develop and deliver interdisciplinary, multi-state and integrated research, education and engagement initiatives to help address critical challenges in various areas of the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences. This will include supplying the country with a globally smart and diverse workforce and supporting critical global development needs through research and extension. The specific objectives of the CEIED are to support the implementation of innovative initiatives and projects that will:
1. Increase the supply of globally-trained degree recipients in the FANRHS disciplines by innovatively integrating a study abroad/study at home learning, discovery and engagement curriculum into the 1890 undergraduate and graduate educational experience;
2. Foster and strengthen collaborative and integrative multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, research and extension activities involving 1890 Institutions and international partners that address trans-boundary challenges in the areas of global food and nutritional security; and
3. Develop a robust infrastructure that will leverage the collective 1890 human and cyber capital and partnerships to support the growth and delivery of the Center’s international programming.
The Center plans to award 12 competitive grants, six focused on supporting workforce development to fulfill the needs of government and industry for qualified personnel to operate in an increasingly global marketplace and the other six initiatives will address transboundary challenges in the areas of food and nutritional security. The RFAs, one covering each thematic area will be released on May 27, 2020. The applications will be open only to 1890 institutions and are due at 5:00 PM EST on June 30, 2020.
Contact Details:
Moses T. Kairo, Ph.D. DIC
Director, CEIED
Email: mkairo@umes.edu
Tel: 410-621-3999
Stephan L. Tubene, Ph.D.
Associate Director, CEIED
Email: sltubene@umes.edu
Tel: 410-651-7577
School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, Maryland 21853
