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Letters from Friends

Alumnus opens new service-oriented university in Cambodia

Since 1977, Ray Zepp ('75, PhD, mathematics education) has taught in universities and worked in charity organizations in the poorest countries around the world. He has been a Fulbright Professor in the Ivory Coast, a 2009 consultant to the World Bank for the Cambodian Higher Education Project, and much more.

In 1995, Zepp arrived in Cambodia with Georgetown University and USAID to help set up the higher education system after the end of the decade-long Vietnamese occupation. He recently wrote to Assistant Professor Bryan Warnick, School of Educational Policy and Leadership, about his latest Cambodian endeavor.

Ray Zepp at the May 2009 USAID Conference on Community Service Learning

Ray Zepp (left) presented with a colleague from Acts of Compassion, a nongovernmental service agency in Cambodia, at the May 2009 USAID Conference on Community Service Learning in Phnom Penh.

Dear Bryan,

Cambodia, as one of the poorest countries in Asia, has an educational system that is at all levels far behind the systems of neighboring countries. While I have witnessed progress in higher education, it is slow. So to improve opportunities, I am working with a team of Cambodians and expatriates to set up Dewey International University (DIU), a unique university in Battambang, Cambodia's second largest city of some 200,000 people.

We plan to open English classes and diploma courses early in 2010, with the launch of bachelor's degree courses scheduled for September 2010. Named in honor of John Dewey, the American educator, the university takes as its motto his phrase, "Learning by Doing."

Service and research in the local community are the twin pillars upon which DIU will be based. Since my colleagues and I have been working with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Battambang for over a decade, we have many contacts. We plan to place students in research and service projects in these organizations.

For example, in past years working with other Cambodian universities, I have placed students in such projects as:

We expect to incorporate this type of community service learning into our curriculum at DIU.

Dr. Zepp with students at a local market

Dr. Zepp (left) with students conducting a research project at a local market.

Another aspect of our work is to provide access to higher education for young people from low-income families in the area. Several types of support will be available.

I will establish a foundation called Cambodian College Kids, an endowment fund that will award scholarships to students in need. For students with jobs, most courses will be offered during evening and weekend hours. We will also offer one-year, full- or part-time diploma courses aimed at helping young people secure jobs. Later, they can apply their course credits toward degree programs.

We will run a placement center to match employers with students in key occupations. In order to do so, we will maintain close contact with banks and other institutions through professional short courses and consultancies.

Let me add that Battambang is one of the easiest places to live that I have ever experienced. Peaceful, secure and slow-moving, it is unbelievably stress free. I bicycle everywhere and can obtain the creature comforts needed in this small city on the main road between Phnom Penh and Thailand.

To learn more about DIU, contact me at zepp@rocketmail.com. I hope to see members of The Ohio State University community some day in Cambodia.

Zepp has written two travel books about Cambodia, Experiencing Cambodia, and Around Battambang. His latest journal article, "Teachers' Perceptions of Good and Bad Leaders in Seven Cultures," appeared in Academic Leadership, an online journal.

View other letters from our friends.

Send us a letter! We welcome news from our alumni and friends. Feel free to update us on your latest work, both professional and personal. Send letters to Sean Thompson, Director of Alumni Relations, College of Education and Human Ecology, 185 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210.

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