Rebuilding Iraq: UMass Boston Reaches Out to University Officials from Baghdad

A delegation of Iraqi professors visited UMass Boston on July 11th to discuss potential partnerships with Iraqi universities and assist in the planning for the July 2007 on-campus conference “Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq.”

Led by Deputy Minister for Scientific Affairs Beriwan M. Khailany, of Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the seven representatives from the University of Baghdad toured the campus, discussed issues surrounding the 2007 conference and later toured the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

“It is very important for people to know what Iraq needs and how the country must be rebuilt,” said Khailany. “The rehabilitation of higher education is very vital. Every family in the country is affected as young people leave to attend university and then return to their families with the knowledge and training they have received. We play a significant role in rebuilding Iraq economically and socially.”

There are 22 universities and three scientific research foundations in Iraq. Qualified students may attend at no cost, Khailany said. The focal point of international aid has been reconstruction of facilities. Now the campuses must equip themselves with scientific hardware and a corps of trained faculty.

“Our campuses are secure with the exception of one or two that are located in areas where there is much fighting” between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents,” Khailany said. The country’s secure campuses are beginning to rebuild academic programs that suffered under the Hussein regime and international sanctions that effectively isolated Iraqi scholars from the international community for 14 years, she said.

CPCS Dean Adenrele Awotona is planning the conference, “Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq.” In addition to bringing an international group of scholars, Awotona said state and federal officials will be invited and that his goal is to bring at least 100 Iraqi professors and officials to the campus sessions. He expects the participants to develop a blueprint for restoring institutions that have suffered under the Hussein regime and the many wars the country has fought. The World Bank, the United Nations and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have contributed significant funds to the reconstruction of Iraq, including its higher education institutions.

“There is a wealth of expertise on the UMass Boston campus and within the College of Public and Community Service to assist in the planning and development of healthy communities in Iraq,” said Awotona. “Our programs in community planning, management, teacher training, environmental studies and engineering can serve as valuable resources for both students and faculty in Iraq.”

The delegation on campus included administrators from the University of Baghdad’s colleges for engineering, mathematics, computer networking and science.

Awotona’s steering committee includes Iraqi scholars – both in Iraq and abroad – experts from around the world and Iraqi-Americans like Natick businessman Anwar Diab, who remains confident the country he left 26 years ago can rebuild following years of dictatorship, sanctions and war.

“What we are trying to do is develop a fresh and realistic perspective on the future of Iraq and its possibilities,” said Diab, who has made four trips to Iraq since toppling of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. “But when you look beyond the surface, you can find tremendous opportunities.”

For more information about “Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Iraq,” which takes place at UMass Boston from July 23-26, 2007, please visit http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/rsci