WASHINGTON, D.C. - Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator, delivered the keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) this morning in San Francisco. He released the following statement:

"I am truly honored to be present this week at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting to celebrate the long and productive relationship that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shares with the U.S. university community. Together we have made great progress in supporting research, development and capacity building that benefits those in the U.S. and abroad.

For example, some of our earliest partnerships in food, health care and education in countries such as India, Brazil and South Korea have helped those countries graduate from aid recipients to donor countries. That critical work was carried out in coordination with researchers and experts at universities whose knowledge and skills complemented USAID's outreach and development expertise to make a lasting difference in these countries and elsewhere.

But our work together is far from complete. Nearly one billion of the world's seven billion people suffer from chronic food insecurity, and global food production will need to increase by 70% over the next 40 years to feed the growing population. U.S. universities have helped define the research priorities for Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative, and will play a critical role in implementing USAID's new research programs supporting that effort.

In food security as in health, science and technology, we know that the government cannot do it alone. By working openly and directly with universities and other key partners, we can realize significant new opportunities in development, delivering results more effectively and efficiently than ever before. That is why, this week, we are unveiling a new university engagement hub on the USAID web site to provide our partners in the university community with a single point of contact and a one-stop-shop for information gathering. Interested students, faculty and researchers should visit www.usaid.gov/universities for more information.

There is no easy solution to solving the world's most pressing social challenges. But through partnerships between the government and U.S. universities, faith-based communities, the military and the American people, we have a real chance to provide a brighter tomorrow for millions around the world."