NIU’s close relationship with local community colleges could have a worldwide effect.

The university has partnered with PASCAL, an international not-for-profit network of higher education officials and other interested individuals, in a project analyzing the relationship between four-year and two-year colleges.

“It’s the building of a network of regions around the globe to learn from each other,” said Diana Robinson, assistant director of NIU’s Center of Governmental Studies. Robinson is co-managing NIU’s end of the project with Paul Crawford, director of community college relations.

This past week, four PASCAL associates visited NIU to meet with numerous university and local community college officials, said Anne Kaplan, vice president of outreach.

“They will write a report on what they saw as our issues,” Kaplan said, stating that the report would be completely constructive.

The report will focus on how the university’s relationship with the community college affects the area’s economic development. Kaplan mentioned how, in a meeting with NIU President John Peters, numerous community college presidents voiced concern regarding skills gaps in students and the level of poverty in their districts.

“They were all very, very concerned that there were pockets of poverty in their districts,” Kaplan said. “They would like to find some ways to dress it, in a regular sense.”

Those involved with the project said it would help NIU students in the long run. Robinson said it would be an opportunity to “benchmark ourselves” with the rest of the world.

“It’s going to open up a world of research opportunities for students,” Robinson said.

Crawford said the program could lead to better communication between NIU and community colleges, resulting in “the development of a much tighter, well-coordinated higher education system for students.”

The project is being undertaken in regions all across the globe, including Australia, Botswana, England and Norway and will last for two years.