The Talloires Network E-Newsletter - August 2020

• CAMEROON: Health Care for Internally Displaced Persons in Cameroon to Mitigate the Impacts of COVID-19, Meridian Global University in partnership with Access Care Foundation will provide basic healthcare services for people trapped or displaced by the conflict in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon. The partnership will focus on a hygiene and education campaign and other preventive measures against the pandemic as well as the reduction of maternal or neonatal deaths.
• KENYA: Co-creation Strategies for Improving the Health of Children and Access to Safe Water in a Time of Crisis, Mount Kenya University in collaboration with Partners for Care will implement more sustainable and impactful interventions in rural East Africa to improve the quality of water and sanitation services. The interventions aim to reduce waterborne illnesses and preventable diseases, and in light of the COVID-19, they are focusing on setting up handwash stations to curb the spread of the virus. 
• MEXICO: Food Security & Health Promotion Initiatives During the COVID-19 Crisis, Universidad Veracruzana in partnership with the Veracruz State Department of the Environment will involve local communities and indigenous youth in food security projects throughout the region. By way of participatory research and reflection-in-action, community members will work with students to incubate start-up projects in conservation of water resources, greenhouses, and agro-ecological farming.
• NICARAGUA: Biophychosocial Strengthening of the University Community and its Environment Against COVID-19, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in collaboration with municipal mayors and non-profit institutions that serve the local community proposed to promote biopsychosocial health and wellness habits. The university’s Psychosocial and Community Clinic at the Multidisciplinary Regional Faculty will be working with their partners to offer additional resources online and to promote community awareness of the importance of mental health.  
• ZIMBABWE: Combating COVID-19 Through Digital Innovation and a Community-Driven Approach, University of Zimbabwe in partnership with the Glen Norah Community Cooperative will address the devasting COVID-19 impacts on people’s livelihoods and the local economy. It will promote decent employment creation and income generation by providing entrepreneurship education and establishing a revolving loan facility for vulnerable small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs.

In September, the Talloires Network will celebrate its 15th anniversary. We will mark the occasion by announcing the winner of the international design competition for the new Talloires Network logo as well as a messaging philosophy consistent with contemporary standards in the field of university civic engagement, the academic culture of the 2020s, and the accomplishments and direction of the Network to date.

With this transition in mind, I share the sad news of the passing of Steering Committee member Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui on 22 June. The Network has had the good fortune of working with Vice-Chancellor Siddiqui for many years and we are grateful for his significant contributions. I encourage you to read about his inspiring achievements in Pakistan. Let us take a moment to reflect on the courageous efforts of Vice-Chancellor Siddiqui and the other leaders in the university civic engagement movement who came before us. 

Sincerely,
Anthony P. Monaco
President, Tufts University

Nous Group has been working with senior representatives of the King’s College London, the University of Chicago, and the University of Melbourne to find a way to measure and recognize university engagement. The findings from this project are contained in a new report, “Advancing University Engagement: University engagement and global league tables.”

Albion College 
Albion College President Mathew Johnson is calling on the college to be "boldly and courageously anti-racist." The college has developed "Blueprint for Belonging Action Toolkit" as part of a year-long process to build public commitments to this work across the campus. Read more. 

NESET Report on Community Engagement 
European Commission has recently published a new report entitled "Community Engagement in Higher Education: Trends, Practices and Policies." The report argues that universities play a crucial role in responding to societal needs, and can further enhance their societal impact at local, national and international levels through community engagement. Read the Report. 

Call for Proposals: Association of International Education Administrators 
AIEA has released a call for proposals for their 2021 conference. 
The conference theme is “Leading Internationalization in a New Era: Collaborating for Global Solutions” and will envision how higher education will emerge stronger in the post-pandemic era. Proposals are due August 15. Read more.