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**UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**FACULTY EXCHANGE PROGRAM**

**Agricultural Sciences**

**2007 Program Description**

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Faculty Exchange
Program (FEP), managed by the Foreign Agricultural Service, brings
qualified agricultural educators from progressive agricultural
universities in Eurasia to the United States for four months to increase
their knowledge of, and ability to teach and perform research in,
agricultural science subjects such as animal health, food quality, food
inspection, phytosanitary measures, and grades and standards.

The goal of the program is to promote the development of sound
agricultural science policy, teaching, and research techniques in
Eurasia. The objectives of the Faculty Exchange Program are to:

1.  Increase the number of adults in Eurasia who are well versed in
    current agricultural science issues and who can employ the latest
    research techniques by improving the quantity and quality of
    academic and adult education programs in the agricultural sciences;

2.  Develop the ability of participating instructors to evaluate and
    revise curricula and courses through the application of basic
    principles of learning and curriculum development;

3.  Develop participants\' knowledge of, and ability to apply, U.S.
    agricultural scientific research methods;

4.  Establish enduring U.S.-Eurasia university relationships that will
    catalyze and support curriculum development, course revision, and
    research in the agricultural sciences.

5.  Provide an opportunity for the selected instructors to enter and
    more fully participate in the worldwide networks of agricultural
    science, research, and technology.

Increasing the number of adults in Eurasia who have a well-rounded view
of current agricultural science issues and who can perform research
using the latest methods and standards, increasing the number of people
who can teach and create educational materials on the agricultural
sciences, and increasing the number of people with the mind-set to adapt
to current conditions is critical to the formulation and implementation
of sound policy and increased trade in Eurasia.

The FEP is accepting applications for the 2007 program. We anticipate
that the program will begin in August 2007 and end in December 2007.
Individual candidate and university administration interviews are
tentatively planned to take place in March or April 2007.

[Requirements:]{.underline}

-   Applicants should be teaching at the university level and have a
    background in the agricultural sciences in areas such as animal
    health, food quality, food inspection, phytosanitary measures, and
    grades and standards.

-   Applicants must be proficient in oral and written English. All
    aspects of the program will take place in English; interpreters will
    not be used.

-   Applicants must be in good health and, if accepted, will be required
    to have a physical exam prior to traveling to the U.S.

-   The applicant's university must be willing to continue to pay the
    salary of the participant while they take part in the program and to
    guarantee continued employment upon return of the participant.

-   Upon completion of the U.S. portion of the program, the applicant
    must be willing to return to their university to teach for a minimum
    of 2 years.

The FEP is not a degree-granting program; rather it builds upon a
participant\'s current academic knowledge, professional training, and
experience so that they will be a more competent instructor of, and
researcher in, agricultural science subjects. It equips participants in
revising and improving their current courses and in introducing new
subjects to assist in the development of the agricultural science
sectors of the country. The program also provides exposure to up-to-date
research methodologies used in the U.S. The FEP is intended to increase
the validity and overall usefulness of a university's academic and adult
education programs.

FEP participants will develop a deep conceptual understanding of how the
agricultural sciences are taught in the U.S., how research is carried
out, how results are applied, and how research is integrated into the
academic curriculum. The learning experiences for FEP participants will
be planned and conducted in collaboration with U.S. agricultural
colleges. These experiences will be tailored to participants\'
individual subject interests and training needs within the broad
objectives of the program.

Other activities will include one-on-one meetings with an assigned U.S.
professor and group discussions on a variety of subjects; exposure to
teaching methodologies and assessment techniques used in the U.S. higher
education system; course and curricula revision and development for
academic and adult education; study of, and visits to, public and
private agribusiness enterprises and research institutions to understand
and experience firsthand the principles and practices of the U.S.
agricultural scientific community; and practical experiences with
agribusinesses, research institutions, or other public or private
entities involved in the U.S. agricultural system. Participants will
also learn about the use of the Internet in distance education programs.

Class work and classroom observation will be included. Each participant
is expected to develop or revise at least two course outlines. During
their stay in the U.S., participants will collect the materials and
information necessary to teach the new or revised courses. It is
expected that the participant will bring examples of their curriculum.
Review, comparison, and revision of curricula will be an important part
of the program. We also expect each participant to develop and adapt
ideas for curricula design, teaching methods and materials, adult and
extension education, and research methods and collaboration.

The FEP provides follow-up support to participants after they return to
their home institutions. Funds are reserved for U.S. professors to visit
participant's universities to assist further in curricula reform and
course and research development. Former participants have continued to
maintain contact with the U.S. universities where they were trained and
U.S. professors have continued to provide course outlines, critiques,
and other valuable information by post, fax, and the Internet. We are
particularly interested in applicants from Eurasian universities
interested in establishing long-term relationships with U.S.
universities.

If invited to participate in the FEP, the participant must have a
physical examination (a form will be provided by the USDA) to be
completed by a physician certifying that the participant is in good
health. The USDA will provide emergency medical insurance only, which
will not cover pre-existing or chronic medical conditions, medication,
eyeglasses, or dental work. If there is a medical emergency, the
participant will be responsible for paying a percentage of the costs.

If selected to participate, the USDA will pay round-trip airfare to the
U.S. from the participant\'s country's capital city; program fees; book
allowance; emergency medical insurance; and a stipend to cover food,
lodging, and incidental expenses for the duration of the program.

Applicants should please complete the application in English. We will
only accept applications for the program that are completed in English.
**(**However, the applicant\'s rector or dean, vice rector or vice dean,
and department head can complete and sign their sections in their native
language, if desired, with an English translation attached.) The
applicant\'s training objectives and their university administration\'s
expectations of them upon return should be discussed and agreed upon
prior to the interviews.

Applications should be submitted to the USDA Agricultural Office by
March 15. Interviews with applicants and their university administrators
are tentatively scheduled to take place in March or April, 2007. Final
selection of participants will be made by a joint USDA and Land Grant
Universities committee. The USDA Office at the U.S. Embassy in the
applicant\'s country will notify those selected and assist in making
arrangements for visas, airplane tickets, and other logistics.