News

CERGE-EI welcomes USAID administrator Mark Green

22 October, 2018

CERGE-EI was delighted to welcome Mark Green, Administrator of USAID, during his recent visit to Prague. The US Agency for International Development is the world’s largest overseas aid organization and was a major founding donor of CERGE-EI. Since 1991, USAID has provided CERGE-EI with over $5 million of grants.

“The purpose of foreign aid is to end the need for its existence”, said Administrator Green in his first address to USAID personnel. In this respect, CERGE-EI is a showcase project: from being a recipient of major aid in the 1990’s, CERGE-EI is now sharing and spreading its knowledge far and wide across the region it was created to serve.

Since 2006, CERGE-EI has secured 3 grants from USAID’S Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad. Funds from these grants have enabled CERGE-EI to maintain the reputation of its library as the best of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. Its physical and electronic collections are an invaluable resource for faculty, students and CERGE-EI Foundation Teaching Fellows.

CERGE-EI’s current grant from ASHA continues that support and is also funding the purchase of audiovisual equipment for the Digital Media Center, currently under construction on the 4th floor. This will open in the spring of 2019 and includes a digital lecture theater which will allow lecturers and researchers in Prague to livestream lectures and seminars to partner institutions across the region.

Administrator Green met with Professor Jan Svejnar, Director Michal Kejak as well as students and CERGE-EI Foundation staff. Congratulating the gathering, he remarked “what you are doing and plan to do in this region is unique and very impressive”.