The title for the 3-day enriching and engaging symposium was “International Symposium on the Role of African Higher Education and Sustainable Community Development: The Case for African University. A 3-person delegation from the United States included President & CEO of African University Foundation, Baiyee-Mbi Agbor-Baiyee and two board members of African University Foundation, William Agbor-Baiyee of Indiana University School of Medicine and David Williams Russell, Jr. of Harrison & Moberly.
SYMPOSIUM
The program for the symposium is aligned with the mission of African University Foundation to facilitate and serve the development of African University, Tali, Cameroon. Participants of the symposium will be drawn from the non-profit, government, business, education sectors, members of the communities, among others. Although a number of papers were presented the majority of the symposium time was spent in group and plenary discussions, debating the role of African higher education in sustainable communitydevelopment, but also to discuss and recommend how best to advance African University, Tali, Cameroon.
The symposium outcomes included the following:
- Discussed the relationship between African higher education in sustainable community development;
- Discussed strategies that motivate African higher education institutions into actions that engage them with the community development activities;
- Discussed the African University educational model;
- Strengthened the constituency for African University in Cameroon in general and Tali community area in particular;
- Disseminated the proceedings of the symposium through venues such as the African University Foundation and Harrison & Moberly web sites as well as the Eden Newspaper and Spectrum Television in Cameroon.
The symposium outcomes included the following:
- Discussed the relationship between African higher education in sustainable community development;
- Discussed strategies that motivate African higher education institutions into actions that engage them with the community development activities;
- Discussed the African University educational model;
- Strengthened the constituency for African University in Cameroon in general and Tali community area in particular;
- Disseminated the proceedings of the symposium through venues such as the African University Foundation and Harrison & Moberly web sites as well as the Eden Newspaper and Spectrum Television in Cameroon.
- Recommended strategies to advance African University.
- Focus group discussions recommended that community development efforts of African University in Tali, Cameroon focus in rank-order on the supporting the following programmatic areas: 1) Health training/facility; 2) Agriculture/agribusiness/forestry/environment training/facility; 3) Business/microfinance; 4) Water; 5) Community development/cultural activities/groups; 6) Education/adult literacy; 7) Engineering/technology training; 8) Electricity; Roads; 9) Women empowerment; and 10) Communications center.
- Conduct a general survey of the 6.5 square miles reserved for African University.
- Launch planning for phase one of African University
- Construct an integrated community center
The next steps are as follows:
- Conduct a general survey of the 6.5 square miles reserved for African University.
- Launch planning for phase one of African University
- Construct an integrated community center
Acknowledgements
This symposium was organized by African University in the United States and Cameroon. We gratefully acknowledge partial funding for the symposium from the Indianapolis-based 1) Efroymson Family Fund, a Central Indiana Community Foundation Fund and 2) Indiana Forum for International Professional Services, Inc.
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