SU, Cornell partner with Rwandan universities

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse University (SU) School of Information Studies (iSchool) and Cornell University are helping two universities in Rwanda train new professionals in library and information science.

The iSchool, Cornell, the Kigali Institute of Education, and the National University of Rwanda signed a partnership agreement in early May. Students from the two Rwandan universities will work toward doctorates, master’s degrees, and certificates at both SU and Cornell over the next few years.

Most will work through the schools’ distance programs and receive additional training as teachers so they can begin training even more professionals in Rwanda, says Sarah Webb, a doctoral student at the iSchool who has been working on the effort. Webb first became interested in Rwanda after spending time there during a leave of absence from her job as a librarian.

It was while there she decided to pursue another degree and also learned something of Rwandan leaders’ desire to spur a more knowledge-based economy in their nation.

The National University is aiming to implement an information science program of its own while the Kigali Institute plans to train a new generation of librarians and information managers.

“They’re landlocked and they need a good industry,” Webb says. “[IT] is one that can really work for them.”

Librarians are a key piece of the strategy because they will help teachers throughout the country use technological resources in the classroom more effectively. The nation also needs to develop a reading culture, Webb notes.

Much of Rwanda’s stories and history is passed on in oral form, she says. Cultivating a generation familiar with books, but also with Google and Wikipedia, will be critical for creating a new kind of economy there, she adds.

The Kigali Institute and National University are aiming to train 33 students through the partnership with Cornell and the iSchool. Three would earn doctorates from SU, 15 would earn certificates of advance study from SU, and another 15 would earn master’s degrees from SU or Cornell.

Webb is earning her degree soon, but plans to remain at SU for a post-doctorate period to work with the Rwandans. She has worked on the initiative with Mary Ochs, an alumna of the iSchool, and the agricultural library director at Cornell.

Much of Webb’s work over the next year will involve fundraising. It will cost about $3 million to implement a program to train the 33 students. The iSchool plans to assist with some tuition aid, but the school says Webb plans to reach out to corporations, foundations, government agencies, and alumni for support.

The goal is for students from Rwanda to visit the iSchool next summer for a two-month orientation residency and then finish their degrees back home.

Along with Webb and Ochs, iSchool Dean Elizabeth Liddy was in Rwanda in early May to sign the partnership agreement.

Liddy said in a news release that the Rwandans are eager and dedicated to rebuilding their nation. The country suffered through years of civil war and genocide beginning in the 1990s.

As many as 1 million people died during the genocide, which took place in 1994.

Liddy said she would like to see increasing numbers of Rwandan students earn their degrees from the iSchool and eventually open their own information studies school.

“There is a whole continent in need,” she said. “If we really believe this is the future, and if we as iSchools believe this is where we need to be, it would be great to be part of the initiation of Africa being part of the iSchool movement.”