ICARE - International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education

The International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education (ICARE) Foundation is an Armenian non-governmental and non-commercial organization established in Yerevan, Armenia in April 2005 by Texas A&M University through financial support from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service to administer the Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC) operating within the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) since 2000 as well as the three other components: the Career Development and Counseling Center, Research and Outreach Development Center, and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC). The ATC provides agribusiness education to achieve sustainable entrepreneurial activities in the food and agriculture sector in Armenia and Georgia. It prepares agribusiness specialists armed with broad economic, marketing, and managerial skills, up-to-date communication abilities and a good knowledge of English. These skills make the ATC graduates competitive in the growing regional agribusiness sector. The two-year curriculum is western-structured, based on the undergraduate agricultural economics and graduate (MAB) curriculum of Texas A&M University. Courses are taught in English by American and Armenian instructors.

The Career Development and Counseling Center (CDCC). The CDCC has been established to develop and implement a sustained mechanism that allows students and graduates of ATC and the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) to effectively identify job opportunities and obtain employment. The main activities of the CDCC include development and periodic update of the database of students, graduates and business companies throughout Armenia; organization of seminars and workshops on resume and cover letter writing, interview techniques, labor rights, and leadership development skills; and other assistance as needed.

The Research and Outreach Development Center (RODC). The RODC solicits and conducts research on relevant agribusiness topics and promotes research on Armenian agribusinesses at national and international meetings. The Center has conducted over 25 research and rural development projects funded by USDA, US Embassy in Armenia, USAID through DAI, FAO, World Bank, Swiss National Science Foundation, World Vision, and many others. The RODC also organizes field trips, study tours and student internships, plans regional and international seminars and conferences, and assists with summer schools, student exchange programs and student enrichment activities.

The Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). The CETL has been established on the basis of the Higher Agricultural Education Reforms project (collaborative project between USDA FAS, Texas A&M and ICARE aimed at building the capacity of the ASAU to be able to meet the standards set forth by the Bologna Declaration). The CETL provides training and supporting resources to existing and future faculty of ASAU and regional universities to facilitate excellent teaching for helping to improve student learning inside and outside the classroom. The CETL aims at fostering connections among university teachers throughout the region, across program and disciplinary boundaries, and even in the broader community. Through a set of tools, instructional resources and materials, the CETL provides professional development, support for course design and improvement, and opportunities for scholarly inquiry into learning and teaching.