The crisis in Syria has created an academic emergency, with the breakdown of higher education within the country and major obstacles facing Syrian students and scholars who are studying or teaching outside of Syria. There is an urgent need to provide emergency assistance to these students and scholars to enable them to continue their academic work at safe haven institutions until they can return home to help rebuild their country.

 

To respond to this need, the Institute of International Education, along with the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and Jusoor, announced at the 2012 annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative a Commitment to Action that includes providing emergency grants to students whose education has been interrupted by the crisis, and to scholars whose lives are threatened in Syria. Together, we have committed a total of $2 million, and are now seeking donors and partners to provide additional financial support and scholarships for this critically important work, with a goal of $5 million in support.

 

We need your support to reach this goal. A core component of our CGI Commitment is to build a consortium of universities and colleges around the world who will offer scholarships to assist threatened Syrian students. For example, the Illinois Institute of Technology has already committed to provide up to 50 scholarships to Syrian students to attend IIT. I call upon you to join this consortium and provide scholarships or other forms of assistance to students from Syria. Even one scholarship will make a difference. To join the consortium, please go to www.iie.org/syria and take action by October 15. 

 

Together, we can support Syria in this moment of crisis. I hope you will join us in this urgent endeavor.