University of Michigan
Project Title
For a project on the observation of subnational election-related violence and security in select countries in Africa
Date
Sep. 10, 2020
Duration
48 months
Description
Since the wave of democratic reforms across Africa in the 1990s, fifty-one African states now hold regular elections. For many, such as Liberia and Sierra Leone, elections have been crucial to reconstructing legitimate political order following civil war. Yet, accounts by election observation missions, journalists, and many scholars conclude that most African countries experience widespread violence during elections. Ajoint project among the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Development in Africa, the University of Michigan, and the University of Witwatersrand utilizes social science research and methods in the conduct of electoral observation missions. It aims to improve the collection of primary data on the different types and regularity of violence in the lead-up to and during elections, as well as the efficacy of electoral observer missions, more generally.
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Project Title
For support of an initiative integrating nonpartisan voter registration into university life
Date
Sep. 13, 2018
Duration
12 months
Description
Although high school and university students are passionate about various policy issues, they often do not recognize the impact that voting has in addressing them. In 2017, the University of Michigan helped develop the “Big Ten Voting Challenge,” an effort to commit colleges of the Big Ten Conference to registering student voters and educating them on the democratic process. Fourteen universities have conducted nonpartisan voter registration drives, voter education, and get-out-the-vote activities designed to engage voters on their campuses. The University of Michigan has also been sharing educational materials and strategies with numerous universities and national associations, beyond the conference. With Corporation support, the University of Michigan will continue to develop and monitor nonpartisan efforts to integrate voter engagement on college campuses, before disseminating its findings nationally.
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Project Title
As a one-time only grant to support the African Studies Center's University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) program
Date
Sep. 13, 2018
Duration
12 months
Description
Faculty members at African universities face myriad challenges in advancing their careers. Substantial administrative and teaching duties hinder professors who are conducting research or writing books, and prevent faculty who are pursuing doctoral degrees while teaching from attaining them. For this reason, few faculty members at African universities hold PhDs. In many African countries, government funding for education has been redirected to primary schools at the expense of higher education. Founded in 2008, the African Studies Center at the University of Michigan is dedicated to creating scholarly and educational partnerships between American and African institutions. The Center’s African Presidential Scholars initiative offers on-campus residencies to early-career faculty at African universities. These residencies free African professors from teaching and administrative work, allowing them to focus exclusively on writing and research. Scholars also benefit from network-building and research collaboration with American professors. Carnegie Corporation support will fund a four to six-month residency at the University of Michigan for an African scholar.
Website
Project Title
For a pilot study on data collection in conflict-affected countries
Date
Jun. 14, 2018
Duration
27 months
Description
The scarcity of qualitative and quantitative data owned and collected by Africans with African-led methods contributes to major inequalities in knowledge production informing peacebuilding research in Africa. In response to a request for proposals, the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy (EISA) and the University of Michigan’s (Michigan) will leverage electoral observer missions and local election result reporting to gather information about security arrangements, incidents of political violence, and public infrastructure and services in individual polling stations in various African elections. EISA and Michigan will develop an open-source dataset allowing academics and practitioners to analyze how local conditions affect the relationship between elections and violence.
Website
Project Title
For support of an initiative integrating nonpartisan student voter registration into university life
Date
Sep. 07, 2017
Duration
6 months
Description
Young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine constitute 21 percent of the voting eligible population, yet young adult turnout is remarkably low. According to exit polls, 50 percent of eligible young adult voters did not vote in the general election and only 17 percent of university-age students cast ballots in the 2014 mid-term elections. In order for the democratic process to effectively serve the American people, the participation of the youngest generation of voters is critical. With strong academic expertise in electoral research, public opinion, and advocacy, the University of Michigan has a long tradition of student political engagement. With Corporation support, the university will research and implement innovative approaches to civic engagement in university life. The project, which features active collaboration among student groups, faculty, and the university administration, involves model-sharing with other universities, professional societies, foundations, and higher education organizations.
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Project Title
For enhancing capacity, building collaborations, and contributing to solutions on marginalized communities in the Arab region
Date
Dec. 07, 2017
Duration
60 months
Description
Gaps in the knowledge sector underlie key security and governance challenges of unemployment, citizen participation, and education in the Arab region. Grounded in longstanding work in the region, the University of Michigan will collaborate with Princeton University to expand the use of quantitative methods with emphasis on Arab region political science. Working with Arab region scholars and institutions, the collaborative project will strengthen the ability of faculty in the Arab region to design research and policy prescriptions for issues affecting the majority of the region’s population, including youth and women. Corporation funds will support four workshops for junior faculty from Arab region universities, a major policy conference, and development of the “Arab Pulse” website.
Website
Project Title
For a project to develop licensure assessments for secondary English language arts and mathematics
Date
Sep. 08, 2016
Duration
24 months
Description
TeachingWorks, a center at the University of Michigan, is dedicated to ensuring all students receive skillful teaching by raising the bar for entry into practice. Specifically, TeachingWorks is committed to improving the quality of beginning teaching by developing a new threshold for entry to licensed teaching that is based on new teachers demonstrating a set of high-leverage professional skills and specific content knowledge for teaching. Through this grant, TeachingWorks will partner with the Educational Testing Service to continue to develop a new type of licensure-level performance assessment – the National Observational Teaching Examination, focusing on English language arts and mathematics for both middle and high school teacher licensure.
Website
Project Title
For developing the National Observational Teaching Examination (NOTE) for secondary English language arts
Date
Jan. 05, 2016
Duration
12 months
Description
Excellent teaching is comprised of both clinically-rich, pedagogically sound practice, and a deep understanding of and ability to help others understand academic content. With respect to the latter, it is not enough for teachers to just possess subject matter knowledge in their field; they must acquire content knowledge for teaching, which involves being able to unfold complex knowledge in ways that make it explicit. However, most existing licensure-level assessments focus on basic content and professional knowledge rather than the ability to use knowledge in practice. In this grant, Teaching Works, a center at the University of Michigan dedicated to ensuring all students get skillful teaching by raising the bar for entry into practice, will partner with the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to develop a new type of licensure-level performance assessment – the National Observational Teaching Examination (NOTE). Focusing first on English Language Arts (ELA), this test would appraise candidates’ skills with key tasks of teaching, asking them to carry out specific high-leverage teaching practices with content knowledge for teaching secondary ELA. Through this grant, Teaching Works, would identify the core set of practices, build with the ETS a new set of licensure exams, and develop resources for those who prepare prospective teachers to help their candidates master the practices and pass the test.
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Project Title
As a one-time grant for scholar mobility fellowships to U.S. universities in support of social scientists from the Arab region
Date
Sep. 12, 2013
Duration
51 months
Website
Project Title
For a project to engage university administrators and develop inclusive practices that open educational opportunities for immigrant students
Date
Dec. 13, 2012
Duration
48 months
Website
Project Title
For a communications strategy aimed at providing enhanced educational opportunity to immigrant students
Date
Mar. 10, 2011
Duration
15 months
Website
Project Title
Toward a project on immigration and higher education access
Date
Mar. 04, 2010
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
Toward a survey to assess American values regarding immigration and social integration
Date
Sep. 10, 2009
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
As a final grant for a joint project with the European University in St. Petersburg to foster the development of the social sciences in Russia's regional universities
Date
Jun. 12, 2008
Duration
66 months
Website
Project Title
Toward the purpose of exploring collaborations with education partners in South Africa and Ghana
Date
Jun. 12, 2008
Duration
5 months
Website
Project Title
Toward its 2008 national politics study
Date
Sep. 11, 2008
Duration
18 months
Website
Project Title
Toward public discourse on the effects of immigration policies on educational access and civic participation
Date
Sep. 27, 2007
Duration
18 months
Website
Project Title
For advancing adolescent literacy learning in the disciplines
Date
Jun. 14, 2007
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For a joint project with the European University in St. Petersburg to foster the development of the social sciences in Russia's regional universities
Date
Jun. 08, 2006
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
One-time funding toward a leadership forum attended by senior university leaders of China's national universities
Date
Sep. 28, 2006
Duration
2 months
Website
Project Title
Toward research into the origins of out-of-field teaching
Date
Mar. 03, 2005
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For advancing adolescent literacy learning in the disciplines
Date
Jun. 09, 2005
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
Toward a national study of ethnic pluralism and politics in American democracy
Date
Mar. 03, 2005
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
As a final grant toward the 2004 National Election Survey
Date
Dec. 02, 2004
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
Toward the development and dissemination of tools to advance the practices of literacy coaches to support subject matter comprehension instruction
Date
Feb. 05, 2004
Duration
36 months
Website
Project Title
For a joint project with the European University in St. Petersburg to foster the development of the social sciences in Russia's regional universities
Date
Oct. 09, 2003
Duration
32 months