1. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Country: Albania Capitol: Tirana Population: 3,639,453 Government: Emerging democracy (Multiparty Democracy) Economy: Transitioning to a modern open-market economy AUT Related Outcomes Enhanced Interconnectivity MOU with AACP Contact info: Catherine Chan- Halbrendt, email: chanhalb@hawaii.edu chanhalb@hawaii.edu http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ ctahr/aheed/ AUT Related Outcomes Enhanced Interconnectivity MOU with AACP Contact info: Catherine Chan- Halbrendt, email: chanhalb@hawaii.edu chanhalb@hawaii.edu http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ ctahr/aheed/ Progress Highlights 1.Masters degree program evaluation & development 2.Conducted grant writing and prioritization setting workshops 3.Developed improved standards and departmental guidelines for relevant graduate research 4.Planned annual conference to showcase research work. 5.Planned research presentation in international conferences. 6.Assessed Agricultural Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC). 7.Conducted workshop on plan of work using logic framework evaluation and impact analysis. Albania-Hawaii Higher Education and Economic Development Overall Objectives 1.To strengthen the Agricultural University in Tirana/Faculty of Economy and Agribusinesses (FEA) faculty’s capacity to provide quality graduate education 2.To build capacity for effective training, consulting and advising to the Ministry of Agriculture, extension agencies, and producer associations Benefits to Global Community Enhance intercountry and cultural understanding Build better relationships for global issues resolution such as climate change Enhance international trade Thriving global agriculture Enhance Research and information exchange Project Impacts 1.Newly proposed Masters Studies Program 2.Relevance in teaching and research 3.Building AUT capacity and opportunities in grant writing and prioritization setting 4.Narrowing the gap between knowledge and skill levels in agricultural economics between Albanian and the industrial world 5.Increase knowledge of UH faculty about Eastern Europe and exposure to their agriculture Goal: To permanently increase Agricultural University of Tirana’s (AUT) contribution to Albania’s economic development by bolstering the capacity of its Faculty of Economy and Agribusiness (FEA) Dr. Catherine Chan-Halbrendt 1, PI, Dr. Engjell Skreli 2, Co-PI, Dr. Richard Bowen 1, Quentin W. Dombro 5, Dr. PingSun Leung 1, Dr. John Yanagida 1, Dr. Carl Evensen 1, Dr. Samir El-Swaify 1, Dr. Ekhlass Jarjees 1, Dr. Halina Zaleski 1, Dr. Bahri Musabelliu 2, Tatjana Dishnica 4, Pauline Sullivan 3, Ana Mane 2, Gwendalyn Sisior 1 Collaborating Institutions 1 University of Hawaii at Manoa, CTAHR, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2 Agricultural University of Tirana, 3 Florida State University, 4 Ministry of Agriculture, Albania, 5 Consultant

2. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Project Administrators Dean Bahri MusabelliuEngjell Skreli Ana Mane C. Chan-Halbrendt

3. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Priority Setting, Grant Writing, Research Ethics Workshops

4. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Workshop Participants February 2009

5. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Workshop Certificate Presentation February 2009

6. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Hawaii State Capital Presentation April 2009

7. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project Hawaii State Capital Presentation Gwen, Legislator and Cathy April 2009

8. A lbania-Hawaii H igher E ducation and E conomic D evelopment Project 19th Annual World Forum and Symposium Budapest Hungary, June 20 - 23, 2009 " Global Challenges, Local Solutions " 2:15 pm – 3:45 pm Discussion Session: Market Oriented Strategies to Revitalize Albania’s Agricultural Industry Organized by: Catherine Chan-Halbrendt, University of Hawaii, USA Halina Zaleski, Universtity of Hawaii, USA Engjell Skreli, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania Tatjana Dishnica, Ministry of Agriculture, Albania Ana Mane, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania Bhari Musabelliu, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania Ina Pagria, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania Zyhdi Teqja, KASH, Albania