UKZN Selected to Host Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow

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The School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences (SAEES) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) was selected by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) to host an African Diaspora scholar from the United States. The scholar will be involved in a collaborative project focusing on a curriculum co-development of a research mentoring programme in Plant Pathology, and developing an international agriculture experiential programme. Professor Mark Laing will lead the project, together with Dr Charmaine Naidoo, a Fellow from Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.

The CADFP will support 17 projects in Africa pairing African Diaspora scholars with Higher Education Institutions and collaborators in Africa. They will work together on curriculum co-development, research, graduate teaching, training and mentoring activities in the coming months.  Naidoo is one of 110 African Diaspora scholars who have been awarded Fellowships to travel to Africa over the first two years of the programme. Naidoo’s visit will last for seven weeks, during which time she will be based at SAEES.

Laing and Naidoo’s project aims to review and develop a Plant Pathology curriculum and the practical aspects of the programme. The scholars will also review the postgraduate research programme in Plant Pathology and initiate a teaching grant proposal to review the management of postgraduate throughput. Additionally, their activities will include the writing of a draft research proposal in Plant Pathology/Crop Science that can be initiated in parallel at both institutions.

The objective of this collaboration is ultimately to produce graduates who will succeed globally by developing well-aligned curricula.

‘Dr Naidoo is keen to enhance international content of curricula at her institution and an exchange of students and faculty will be proposed in a teaching grant proposal,’ said Laing.

Naidoo and Laing envision that the project will have impact at both institutions through the development of a curriculum alignment matrix that can be used at UKZN and Langston University. This kind of strengthening of relationships between the institutions will have immediate impact, leading to longer-term exchange agreements.

Naidoo hopes to contribute her expertise and research acumen in crop/plant biology, as well as her experience in accreditation and knowledge regarding curriculum and assessment reviews.

Several institutions in Africa are hosting Carnegie Diaspora Scholars on various projects, with three host institutions in Ghana, two in Kenya, seven in Nigeria and 4 in South Africa. The projects span an impressive range of fields across the arts and humanities, social sciences, education, sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. This innovative fellowship programme facilitates engagement between scholars born in Africa who are now based in the United States or Canada and scholars in Africa on mutually beneficial academic activities. The programme is managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with Quinnipiac University, through Dr Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, and is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

Zeleza highlighted the importance of diaspora knowledge networks like this that bring together academics across disciplines and help to facilitate scholarly collaboration, exchanges, and networking opportunities. The unique programme aims to contribute to capacity building in home and host countries.

The CADFP has been recognised by scholars as a catalyst for ongoing collaboration, with many scholars continuing their collaborative work after returning to their home institutions.

Christine Cuénod