The University of Pittsburgh IISE has a mission to serve as the premier university research and training institute in comparative, international, and development education. We accomplish our mission by IISE faculty, staff, students, alumni, and affiliated-constituencies engaged in research, training, consultancies, partnerships, service, policy making, teaching, and other forms of practice in local, regional, national, and international contexts.

IISE provides the University of Pittsburgh with one of the most dynamic and productive, internationally-oriented schools of education in the world. IISE is comprised of Affiliated Faculty and Graduate Students associated with one of the five academic departments in the School of Education. IISE also works in collaboration with many other organizations and departments within the University of Pittsburgh, especially the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and its area studies programs (African, Asian, Latin American, Russian and East European, West European/European Union, and Global Studies).

 

Organizational Goals

IISE accomplishes its mission by focusing its strategic activities toward the achievement of five major goals:

Goal 1: to serve as a premier research, planning, monitoring and evaluation hub for development projects in cross-cultural and international contexts;

Goal 2: to offer capacity building expertise and assistance for educational agencies at all levels, HIV/AIDS and other multi-sectorial programs, higher education institutions, and indigenous education programs, with a long-term goal toward local sustainability;

Goal 3: to help develop a global orientation and international understandings among faculty, staff, alumni and other constituencies of the School of Education;

Goal 4: to assist colleagues in public and private schools in the Pittsburgh area to internationalize their curricula and to be linked to a global network of educators; and

Goal 5: to facilitate institutional linkages as well as visiting scholar and other exchange programs on an international level.