Scholar Rescue Fund
The Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF) provides fellowships for established scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. These fellowships permit professors, researchers and other senior academics to find temporary refuge at host universities and colleges anywhere in the world, enabling them to pursue their academic work and to continue to share their knowledge with students, colleagues, and the community at large. During the fellowship, conditions in a scholar’s home country may improve, permitting safe return to help rebuild universities and societies ravaged by fear, conflict and repression. If safe return is not possible, the scholar may use the fellowship period to identify a longer-term opportunity.[1]. It is a program of the Institute of International Education.
In 2007, as a response to an urgent appeal from Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education, SRF launched the Iraq Scholar Rescue Project. The Project’s goal is to rescue more than 150 of Iraq's most senior academics – in any academic discipline – by placing them at institutions of higher learning in countries within the Middle East and North Africa region.[2].
History
The program was founded in 2002, when IIE's trustees committed to making scholar rescue a permanent part of its work. Dr. Henry Jarecki, Dr. Henry Kaufman, Thomas Russo and George Soros, founded the Scholar Rescue Fund to aid threatened scholars find safe haven and continue their academic work. Since then, SRF has provided over 374 awards with the collaboration of more than 160 institutions from 33 different nations.
Board Members
- Henry Jarecki
- Henry Kaufman
- Thomas A. Russo
- Allan E. Goodman
- Julian Johnson
- Thomas S. Johnson
- Amy Brandt
- Denise Benmosche
- Maria Cattaui
- Thomas Detre
- Scott Freidheim
- Barry Gaberman
- Lawrence D. Hite
- Mark N. Kaplan
- Martha Loerke
- Leo Melamed
- George Rupp
- HRH Princess Ghida Talal, wife of Prince Talal bin Muhammad
- Fred Tarter
Scholars’ countries of origin
The SRF Fellowships have no geographic limits on awards, on the disciplines, or fields supported. Fellowships may be awarded to scholars from any country and/or institutions. Below is a list of some of the nations from which scholars have been granted SRF fellowships:
Host Institutions
The SRF Fellows undertake their fellowships at host universities, colleges, research centers and other such academic institutions in any safe country. The host institution provides the scholar with professional and personal support. Below is a list of some of the nations that have participated as host institutions and have provided scholars a safe environment to continue their academic work: