The Institute of International Education (IIE) announced today that its Treasurer and Trustee, Mark Angelson, after stepping down as Chicago's Deputy Mayor later this year, will succeed Dr. Henry Jarecki as Chairman of IIE's Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) and of SRF's scholar selection committee. Dr. Jarecki is one of the founders of SRF and has served as its Chairman as it grew from a start-up initiative into a thriving international rescue effort that has saved the lives and work of nearly 500 threatened academics around the world. 

IIE has been a world leader in the rescue of persecuted scholars since its founding in 1919. During the 1930s, IIE's Assistant Director, Edward R. Murrow, worked to rescue more than 300 threatened European scholars, several of whom went on to win Nobel Prizes.

In 2002, IIE and co-founders George Soros, Henry Kaufman, Thomas Russo, and Dr. Jarecki launched SRF as a formalized response to this ongoing international dilemma, creating a fund that is ready to respond quickly to urgent crises and to assist individual scholars who have immediate need. The outstanding commitment to SRF of these noted financial world leaders has made a remarkable impact in protecting threatened academics and advancing academic freedom around the world. SRF provides fellowships and safe haven for established scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. SRF, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has been supported by prominent international philanthropic institutions, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Open Society Institute, as well as the U.S. Department of State.

IIE President and CEO Allan E. Goodman said, "IIE has been privileged to benefit from Mr. Angelson's knowledge and expertise as a member of the SRF scholar selection committee throughout his tenure as a Trustee. He continued to advise us and to mentor Fulbright students during his period of public service. We are grateful to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for acquiescing in Mr. Angelson's return to private life to take on an ever more active role in these key activities of the Institute."

Thomas S. Johnson, Chairman of IIE’s Board of Trustees, said, "We are extremely grateful to Henry Jarecki for his remarkable service and his deep personal commitment to the Scholar Rescue Fund. He has devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to launching the fund and leading its expansion, and we are pleased to announce that he has agreed to stay on as Chairman Emeritus of the fund. Looking ahead, we are privileged that Mark Angelson has agreed to bring his considerable talent and management experience to leading the Scholar Rescue Fund into the future, building on the strong foundation developed by its founders. We are confident that SRF will continue to grow and flourish with this strong leadership transition."

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "I am grateful to Mark Angelson for his selfless dedication and tireless commitment to the people of Chicago in his role as Deputy Mayor. Mark's outstanding efforts facilitated the creation of tens of thousands of jobs for Chicagoans, unprecedented cooperation with labor unions, the rebirth of World Business Chicago, and the launch of the largest municipal wellness program in the United States, among other initiatives. I have known Mark for many years, and I asked him to join my team with confidence in his ability to support the administration and improve the city. He exceeded my expectations, and his work will pay dividends for years to come. I look forward to continuing our friendship and his professional advice."

Soros, Kaufman, Jarecki, and Russo will receive IIE’s Humanitarian Award for their visionary leadership in founding and guiding SRF at IIE's awards gala on September 18th at New York’s Cipriani Wall Street, where 400 business, education, government, foundation, and policy leaders will celebrate the 2012 award recipients’ commitment to the Institute’s mission of Opening Minds to the World and rescuing threatened scholars.

For more information, including biographies of Mark Angelson and Dr. Henry Jarecki, please visit: www.iie.org/en/Who-We-Are/News-and-Events/Press-Center/Press-Releases/2012/07-31-2012-Mark-Angelson-Named-New-SRF-Chair.