SEPTEMBER 25, 2012     The Agriculture University of Tirana (AUT) awarded today Dr. Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, Chair of the Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Management, from the University of Hawaii, the title of ‘Honoris Causa,’ the highest award in academia, for her work in support the school’s Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness. 

Since 2008, USAID and the University of Hawaii have assisted AUT to improve its academic programs in agricultural economics and policy, agribusiness, and farm management. The University of Hawaii helped to strengthen AUT’s Master of Science curricula in agricultural economics and trained faculty on instruction approaches; it strengthened the university’s applied research and policy analysis; and it co-developed and taught training modules in data collection and market and policy analysis. 

Today, AUT offers a new Master of Sciences II program which is now in its third year and Albanian instructors have assumed all responsibilities for teaching the curricula. Also through this project,  Albanian students and professors were given opportunities to participate in several international conferences and publish in international journals, culminating this fall in the 1st dedicated book to Albanian agriculture, “Agriculture Markets in a Transitioning Economy: An Albanian Case Study.”

Congratulations Cathy!

Thank you AUT for this special recognition of U.S. support and partnerships in Albania!