Afghan Scholars Program

Government and Nonprofit Officials Travel to Seattle for Advanced Studies

Fifteen government and nonprofit officials from Afghanistan arrived February 13, 2008 to study public administration and policy at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs for three months.

The students are pursuing Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) degrees at Kabul University and work for organizations including the Afghan Ministries of Justice, Finance, and the Interior; Afghan National Assembly; and the United Nations.

“The future of Afghanistan depends on building strong public and nonprofit sectors,” said Sandra O. Archibald, dean and professor at the Evans School of Public Affairs. “We are proud to help these distinguished professionals gain the skills necessary to build and maintain civil society and governmental infrastructure in their country.”

During their time at the Evans School, these students pursued intensive studies in leadership, management, and international development and relations, leveraging the Evans School’s strengths in program development and evaluation, public/private/nonprofit partnerships, strategic management, and public policy. They learned first hand from public and nonprofit professionals and worked with Evans School faculty members to begin their master’s theses.

The next group of 38 Afghan Scholars will arrive at the Evans School in late September.

The Evans School hosts this program in partnership with the Afghan eQuality Alliances Program, a Global Development Alliance sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through a cooperative agreement with Washington State University.