Saturday, June 6, 2015
People of Morocco.
Miguel B. Corrigan
Assistant Dean for BUS/FIN/MKT, NVCC-Loudoun
Associate Professor of BUS/FIN/MKT, NVCC-Loudoun
Assistant Dean for BUS/FIN/MKT, NVCC-Loudoun
Associate Professor of BUS/FIN/MKT, NVCC-Loudoun
2014 Fulbright Teaching Scholar, SVRIA, Saratov, Russia
mcorrigan@nvcc.edu703-450-2615
All Day Meeting on Tuesday
Our delegation is picked up at the hotel on Wednesday morning at 9am by our drivers.There is by now an interesting dynamic as to who rides in what car. A lot of times those higher up on the organizational food chain(NOT ME!)choose the VW--fewer seats. Me and the other big fellas are usually in the van as there is more room. These guys do not normally run the air conditioning but quickly realize that in this 95 degree F heat, the Americans quickly begin to request some cooler air. They usually oblige without any problem. We are all very considerate of each other so far and I often end up at the back of the van. I grew up in NM w/o AC in a car.....dealt with a month of Kolkata India temps, so it is not a hardship.
We arrive before 9:30am and the marathon begins. I should mention that the DFP has a wonderful young lady, Hadiba(silent H) who at this point appears to be our liaison. She speaks flawless English, perfect French, and without a doubt Arabic and Berber dialects. I am always envious of these people who can do this. Their lives must be so much more rich and interesting. Anyway she accompanies us everywhere from this point on, translating, negotiating, keeping us to our Draconian schedule. There is a very positive mood in the room from the beginning. The older, higher ranking Moroccans appear to respect Hadiba very much. She is tireless, always smiling....has a young family at home---husband in another ministry and a baby boy.
The first part of the day is a power point presentation on the intricacies of the Moroccan Ministerial organizational chart. We are here because our community college effectively melds 2 year applied degrees, university transfers, and robust workforce development. They are here because their system does not have "bridges" between these diverse educational strategies and we do. Everyone here in our delegation has a different angle when reviewing such differences. The Moroccan Ministry of education is VERY interested in our model. I as a teacher am here to try to build cooperation at the classroom level, ferret out opportunities for our business communities, and most importantly to continue to polish my cultural literacy. Now I am in Africa. I can hardly believe it. I also begin to notice that these folks are more adept at incorporating the views and desires of the job creators in the country. They repeatedly emphasize that they realize that the private sector will provide most of the future jobs. That sector advises, partners, and invests from the beginning in this process---even gong so far as to help develop curriculum and provide teachers/trainers. This for me is their strength!
Around noon they provide a wonderful 3 course lunch. Moroccan food is different and delicious. The mint tea is awesome. More on all of that to come.
We arrive before 9:30am and the marathon begins. I should mention that the DFP has a wonderful young lady, Hadiba(silent H) who at this point appears to be our liaison. She speaks flawless English, perfect French, and without a doubt Arabic and Berber dialects. I am always envious of these people who can do this. Their lives must be so much more rich and interesting. Anyway she accompanies us everywhere from this point on, translating, negotiating, keeping us to our Draconian schedule. There is a very positive mood in the room from the beginning. The older, higher ranking Moroccans appear to respect Hadiba very much. She is tireless, always smiling....has a young family at home---husband in another ministry and a baby boy.
The first part of the day is a power point presentation on the intricacies of the Moroccan Ministerial organizational chart. We are here because our community college effectively melds 2 year applied degrees, university transfers, and robust workforce development. They are here because their system does not have "bridges" between these diverse educational strategies and we do. Everyone here in our delegation has a different angle when reviewing such differences. The Moroccan Ministry of education is VERY interested in our model. I as a teacher am here to try to build cooperation at the classroom level, ferret out opportunities for our business communities, and most importantly to continue to polish my cultural literacy. Now I am in Africa. I can hardly believe it. I also begin to notice that these folks are more adept at incorporating the views and desires of the job creators in the country. They repeatedly emphasize that they realize that the private sector will provide most of the future jobs. That sector advises, partners, and invests from the beginning in this process---even gong so far as to help develop curriculum and provide teachers/trainers. This for me is their strength!
Around noon they provide a wonderful 3 course lunch. Moroccan food is different and delicious. The mint tea is awesome. More on all of that to come.
On the road in Morocco.
We have two drivers(and cars) provided for the 7 of us to get to our many meetings and back to our hotel. These fellows are very professional, patient, and friendly. Driving habits are slightly aggressive and risky but not worry inducing. As I have said previously, traffic here is not nearly as heart stopping as I have experienced in other places. Traffic does still squeeze in for efficiency.....cars make four lanes out of 2 sometimes. Also, to date the roads have been pretty dang nice.Lots of traffic circles. There are the requisite motorcycles everywhere, zipping in and out of traffic. Most notable affectation is that when you have most of the road, you straddle the lane divides. On Wednesday, these guys pick us up at our hotel to deliver us to a day long meeting at the Department of Vocational Training. We are all a little tired but curious to see how this all begins.
Rabat
First sights after arriving in Rabat. Arrived uneventfully but exhausted in Rabat, Morocco on Tuesday, June 6th in the mid-afternoon. I did not check luggage and waited for my traveling companions to collect theirs. No losses. Went through security and customs VERY easily. My colleague Sam and I hit the cash machine before going outside. I took out 2000 dirhams---about $200. There were drivers waiting with NOVA signs and we were whisked quickly into waiting vehicles---a minivan and Volkswagen station-wagon. Surprisingly there was no real hullaballo as you exited the airport terminal----no cabbies shouting----nobody trying to grab your luggage and "help". You get a very distinct impression that this place(or at least Rabat) has a bit of calmness to it. Traffic is slightly hectic---more on that later----some use of horns and ignoring of lane dividers but nothing approaching India, Russia, Nicaragua, Croatia etc. The tension you feel in other places is not prevalent. Due to our late arrival(plane was delayed leaving Paris as well), we missed our appointment with the American Ambassador and were taken directly to the Moroccan DFP(department of vocational training) headquarters. It is still hard to get used to the fuss one experiences on these missions. the entire DFP office was waiting for us----lots of hand shaking---and we were ushered into a conference room, given water and delicious mint tea. A 1/2 hour meeting commenced with Mr. Jamal Eddine Elaloua, the Secretary General of the DFP.
There is Bougainvillaea everywhere. I love this exotic flower.
There is Bougainvillaea everywhere. I love this exotic flower.
Photos of Morocco
A beautiful courtyard at the Training Center for Craft Trades of Al Batha, Fes, Morocco.
Morocco
I was invited at the beginning of May to participate in a delegation of Northern Virginia Community College administrators traveling to Morocco at the behest of the Moroccan Government. Our two governments are on very friendly terms, having signed a free trade agreement in 2004. Morocco is characterized as a constitutional Monarchy. As a result of this goodwill between the US and Morocco, our systems of higher education are collaborating on improving our systems of higher ed as well as workforce development. As NOVA is an elite provider of both, various Moroccan ministries had over time expressed a keen interest in many levels of mutual cooperation and benefit.
I boarded an Air France flight on Monday, June 1 with a Campus Provost, the Vice -President for Global Affairs, two division deans, the Project Director for International Student Initiatives, and a Special Assistant to the College President on Career and Technical Education. The flight was to leave for Paris at 6:45pm where we would catch another Air France flight to Rabat, Morocco, the seat of Moroccan Government. We were delayed for a couple of hours on the tarmac, for me bringing back memories of a 6 hour wait at Dulles, in the snow, on the way to visit my colleagues at SVRIA in Saratov, Russia, this past February. I knew a couple of my NOVA colleagues fairly well. We sat in proximity to each other in Economy Plus----graciously paid for by the college as 3 of us are well over 6 feet tall. (I am the shortest of the 3!) This marks the first time I have ever flown in anything other than economy class and I have done some traveling in my life. I was the only full time faculty member in the delegation, having been invited to possibly utilize business and entrepreneurial strategies to assist the group. As you will read in later posts, we get along well together, giving me a (for me) rare positive perspective on college administrators---who usually tend to stoke my critical nature. These colleagues are highly intelligent, collaborative, friendly, humble, and most importantly willing to listen to me, despite my crabby disposition at times. I believe I've made some real friends on this trip and that is for me in a sense, sacred. We also, over the next few days, begin to make some extraordinary progress in terms of understanding what we each do....as well as to strengthen intra-campus cooperation. All of us have different agendas, but share our thoughts freely and without rancor. Perhaps it is the commonality of "close quarters", but I find myself refreshed at the camaraderie and production of new ideas. These relationships, forged by our mutual goals, can only add immense value for our students who are entering a global economy that places a high premium on cultural literacy.
I boarded an Air France flight on Monday, June 1 with a Campus Provost, the Vice -President for Global Affairs, two division deans, the Project Director for International Student Initiatives, and a Special Assistant to the College President on Career and Technical Education. The flight was to leave for Paris at 6:45pm where we would catch another Air France flight to Rabat, Morocco, the seat of Moroccan Government. We were delayed for a couple of hours on the tarmac, for me bringing back memories of a 6 hour wait at Dulles, in the snow, on the way to visit my colleagues at SVRIA in Saratov, Russia, this past February. I knew a couple of my NOVA colleagues fairly well. We sat in proximity to each other in Economy Plus----graciously paid for by the college as 3 of us are well over 6 feet tall. (I am the shortest of the 3!) This marks the first time I have ever flown in anything other than economy class and I have done some traveling in my life. I was the only full time faculty member in the delegation, having been invited to possibly utilize business and entrepreneurial strategies to assist the group. As you will read in later posts, we get along well together, giving me a (for me) rare positive perspective on college administrators---who usually tend to stoke my critical nature. These colleagues are highly intelligent, collaborative, friendly, humble, and most importantly willing to listen to me, despite my crabby disposition at times. I believe I've made some real friends on this trip and that is for me in a sense, sacred. We also, over the next few days, begin to make some extraordinary progress in terms of understanding what we each do....as well as to strengthen intra-campus cooperation. All of us have different agendas, but share our thoughts freely and without rancor. Perhaps it is the commonality of "close quarters", but I find myself refreshed at the camaraderie and production of new ideas. These relationships, forged by our mutual goals, can only add immense value for our students who are entering a global economy that places a high premium on cultural literacy.
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