Partnership Opportunities with Civilian Universities for Reconstruction and Stabilization Knowledge

1
Partnership Opportunities with Civilian
Universities for Reconstruction and Stabilization
Knowledge and Training
2
Introduction

• Trevor Brown, Associate Professor, John Glenn
  School of Public Affairs, The Ohio State
  University
• Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Science,
  Indiana University
• Teach courses in management, strategy, and
  rebuilding failed and weak states
• Manage a USAID cooperative agreement in Ukraine
  (since 1994)

3
Overview

• Reconstruction Stabilization Needs
• Civilian University (CU) Capabilities
• Partnering Challenges
• Strategies for Addressing Challenges

4
Reconstruction and Stabilization Training Needs

• Conflict/Hazard Life Cycle Needs
• Prevention
• Preparedness
• Response and Mitigation
• Stabilization
• Reconstruction
• Specific Needs
• Interagency Operations
• Post Conflict Operations

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Targeted RS Skill Sets

• RS theories, principles authorities
• Planning methodologies and frameworks
• RS management systems
• Sectoral knowledge
• Resource management
• Communications and interpersonal
• Civil-Military interface
• Understanding USG agencies involved in RS
• Understanding international, NGO and contractor
  partners
• Communications equipment, software
• Country-specific
• Hostile environment
• Adaptive leadership and team building
• Program management

6
Civilian University Capabilities
Research
Teaching
Service Technical Assistance Training
7
Civilian University Assets The Ohio State
University Example

• Provosts Office
• John Glenn School of Public Affairs
• College of Arts and Sciences
• International Studies Program (Security
  Intelligence Tract)
• College of Engineering
• Center for Industrial Sensors and Measurements
• City and Regional Planning Department
• College of Food, Agriculture Environmental
  Sciences
• Department of Food Science Technology

• Office of Research
• Program for International Homeland Security
• College of Social Behavioral Sciences
• Center for Urban and Regional Analysis
• College of Business
• Department of Marketing and Logistics
• College of Medicine
• Ohio Center for Excellence in Education for
  Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response

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Languages at the Ohio State University

• Arabic
• Bulgarian
• Chinese
• Czech
• Dutch
• French
• German
• Greek
• Hebrew
• Hungarian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Kiswahii
• Korean

• Latin
• Persian
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Romanian
• Russian
• Serbo-Croatian
• Shona
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Swedish Scandinavian
• Turkish
• Ukrainian
• Zulu

9
Civilian University Benefits

• House tremendous RS knowledge and expertise
• Offer multiple entry points (i.e. on-site,
  off-site, distance ed) throughout the country
  and the world
• Actively engaged in teaching, research and
  technical assistance and training

10
Challenges in Harnessing Civilian University
Knowledge and Expertise

• Orientation
• Not all CUs are oriented toward addressing RS
  needs
• Fractured
• CUs can be stove-piped and parochial
• Proprietary
• CUs often hold tight to their brand assets (e.g.
  degrees)

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Strategies for Addressing ChallengesOrientation
Challenge

• Harvest low hanging fruit
• Identify CUs that have existing assets targeted
  at RS activities (e.g. George Mason University)
• Water and feed
• Inject resources and knowledge of needs into CUs
  at early stages of RS development
• Plow and seed
• Cultivate new RS efforts in CUs

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Strategies for Addressing ChallengesFractured
Challenge

• Favor integrators over specialists
• (e.g. OSUs John Glenn School of Public Affairs)
• Seek CUs with multiple complementary RS assets
• (e.g. Indiana Universitys 11 Title VI area
  studies centers)
• Leverage assets across CUs as well as within
  them
• (e.g. National Academic Consortium for Homeland
  Security)

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Strategies for Addressing ChallengesProprietary
Challenge

• Collaborate rather than buy off-the-shelf
• Incorporate civilian universities early in the
  curriculum development process
• Start small, finish big
• Facilitate the development of courses,
  certificates and credentials before moving to
  degrees
• Plug into existing degrees
• Link RS to traditional degree offerings

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Recommend Next Steps

• RS Need and Gap analysis
• Take stock of CU RS real and potential capacity
• Pilot CU-USG and CU-CU partnerships