Mary Anne Walker

Early in 2000, International Studies and Programs joined with the Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), Social Science (SSC), and Veterinary Medicine (CVM), as well as the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, to create the Office of International Development (OID). Mary Anne Walker coordinates the activities of the office, which is housed in the International Center. Walker joined MSU after many years of work with USAID, both in Washington, D.C., and Eastern Europe. She has been a Fellow at the United Nations University, has studied U.S. foreign policy at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and holds an MA in International Law from American University.

The mission of OID is essentially to support MSU faculty-particularly those in the major investor colleges-in their pursuit of external funding for international research and international development project work. The office does this by identifying existing MSU strengths and marketing them, as well as by identifying promising opportunities and facilitating effective responses through multidisciplinary collaborations across MSU's academic colleges. Walker works with faculty, graduate students, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector partners to bring new international development project opportunities to MSU.

MSU was the largest university recipient of USAID grants in the second half of the 20th century, and involvement in major international institution building and agricultural support projects has been a staple activity for many MSU faculty members. But over the years, more universities and private sector organizations have developed the expertise required to lead international development projects. Meanwhile, the major funding agencies have changed some of their basic assumptions about the sorts of projects they will fund. This, together with the heightened resolve of agencies to prioritize "sustainable initiatives," has led to a larger percentage of funds going to partnerships that strengthen in-country organizations. To maintain a level of activity established decades ago in today's more competitive environment, MSU must be prepared to partner with institutions around the globe. OID helps insure that teams of qualified individuals can be assembled rapidly in response to viable opportunities. "Numerous projects are currently pending with funding agencies, while several others are in the process of design," Mary Ann Walker said.

In a recent example of such a collaboration, OID teamed up with the leadership and faculty in the Institute of International Agriculture (IIA), the three primary college partners (SSC, ANR, and CVM), ISP, the MSU Detroit College of Law (MSU-DCL), the Broad College of Business, and MSU Extension to pull together a successful bid for a multimillion-dollar initiative. In partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute and other NGOs, MSU's project will deliver technical assistance and training in the area of collaborative fruit/vegetable industry development. Specifically, it will focus on the improvement of safety and quality standards in the production of food for domestic and international markets. Professor Larry Busch (SSC) is project director and Professor Tom Reardon (ANR) is deputy director. The project will be administered through IIA.

A slightly different example of OID's ability to broker collaborative efforts involved coordinating a recent visit of international lawyers from the University of Pristina Law School in Kosovo. The week-long visit in mid October included meetings with faculty throughout campus and with the Michigan Judicial Training Center, District Court, Greater Lansing Legal Aid, Cooley Law School, and private sector law firms. A highlight of the visit was a round-table forum on "The Future of Kosovo: The Status of the Rule of Law and Next Steps for the Local and International Communities," held at MSU's Detroit College of Law.

For more information about oid, visit the Web site at http://www.isp.msu.edu/oid.