Scholar rescue program gets $33 million boost to help academics flee danger

In the wake of the Israel-Gaza conflict that started about a year ago Sami Muslih and his children had to leave Gaza City. Their house was gone‚ and moving to southern Gaza didnt provide safety. Muslih‚ a math physics professor knew he had to get his family out

Once safe Muslih faced a new challenge: how to keep working researching and educating his kids. Luckily‚ the Institute of International Educationʼs Scholar Rescue Fund helped him move to the US. On 10/17/2024 IIE announced a $33 million gift from trustees. This money will help the program save more scholars from danger zones worldwide and support refugees

IIE has been helping people in trouble since the Bolshevik Revolution (rescuing 600 students and scholars). It has aided thousands escaping from Nazi Germany apartheid South Africa‚ Afghanistan and other risky places. In 2002‚ IIE made a special fund for threatened scholars; its helped 1‚134 scholars since then

Weʼre saving their lives and someday their discoveries will save ours

Muslih now at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign‚ said‚ “I had nothing with me“ when he moved to the US. Heʼs caring for five kids (two still in Egypt) and hopes for peace. Meanwhile‚ hes happy to be “engaging completely now in my researches“

Cornell University has hosted 12 scholars recently‚ including an Afghan female artist and a Nicaraguan political cartoonist. Wendy Wolford‚ vice provost for international affairs at Cornell‚ believes this work is central to higher educations mission

The Odyssey Scholarship‚ another IIE program‚ helps refugees like Naw Bee Bi. She lost her father to a land mine in Myanmar as a child and grew up in a Thai refugee camp. Now‚ shes studying digital media in Bangkok‚ hoping to raise awareness about refugee issues

“If you look at my background‚“ Naw Bee Bi said‚ “no one would believe I can study here“