Internship: Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative

In response to a request from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), several organizations in the United States and Africa came together in July, 2007 to consider what could be done to help strengthen African higher education institutional capacity to educate and solve problems relevant to national and regional development. The Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative resulted from these meetings, with the purpose of strengthening the capacity of African higher education institutions through partnerships between African and U.S. higher education institutions over a sustained period for mutual benefit.

The Initiative is led by former USAID Administrator Peter McPherson and is housed at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about the Initiative visit: www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1117.

We are seeking an intern for a period of four months to support the Chief Operating Officer of the Initiative. The position will entail the following responsibilities in communication, event planning and research:


1. Assist in the writing of grant proposals. In addition to writing, this work entails organizing and attending meetings to obtain feedback from the larger Initiative team, conducting research to answer questions posed in the grant application, editing, pulling together support materials, etc.
2. Assist with maintaining the Initiative website.
3. Assist with external communication regarding Initiative events, media stories, monthly updates, etc. – this may involve writing and sending emails, making phone calls, and updating the website.
4. Assist with taking notes in meetings, writing up summaries, and coordinating with the administrative assistant to facilitate set up and ensuring meeting logistics are taken care of.
5. Assist the Chief Operating Officer and other Initiative staff members with project management, research and writing as needed.


Desired Qualifications:
a. Strong writing and research skills.
b. Good organizational skills and attention to detail.
c. Good interpersonal skills, team-player, flexible.
d. Interest in international development and Africa.
e. French language skills strongly desirable.
f. Knowledge about/experience in Africa and international development strongly desirable.
g. Web development skills a plus.

Interested candidates should submit a letter and resume to Anne-Claire Hervy, Chief Operating Officer, Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative at achervy@ais.msu.edu.