Jorge Balan begins by discussing his educational background and early career: his undergraduate sociology studies at the University of Buenos Aires in the 1960s; doctoral studies in Texas; teaching jobs in Mexico, New York, and Brazil; and return to Argentina in 1973. Balan then discusses the development of his interest in educational reform, his work for the Ministry of Education in post-dictators hip Argentina in the 1980s-90s, and returning to the U.S. to work for the Ford Foundation in 1997. Balan goes on to detail his involvement in the ten-year Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) project during his tenure at the Ford Foundation, outlining the initiation of the project by Vartan Gregorian and the Carnegie Corporation of New York and discussing the goals and challenges by the initiative. Topics include coordination between multiple philanthropic foundations, budgeting and partitioning grants, dealing with diverse educational systems across many different African countries, building networks of researchers to develop fields like science and agriculture, and working to create professional opportunities for African women. Balan concludes by discussing how his involvement in PHEA impacted his views on higher education and comparing issues of higher education in Africa to those in Latin America and the U.S.
Charities; Educational change--Latin America; Education--History--20th century.--Argentina; Education and state--Argentina; Education, Higher--Africa; Educational change--Africa; Women--Economic conditions.--Africa; Charity organization; Endowment of research; Endowments; Humanitarianism; Social service; Balán, Jorge, 1940-; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Partnership for Higher Education in Africa; Ford Foundation; Argentina. Ministerio de Educación
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2013
Physical Description
82 pages; 1 digital audio file (107 min.); 1 digital audio file (65 min.)
Note (Biographical)
Senior Research Scholar, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Note
Interviewed by Ronald Grele on August 6 and 20, 2013.
Note (Provenance)
Jorge Balán, Gift 2013
Note (Copyright)
Copyright by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2013.