Thanks for sharing!  SAR thanks the over 500 respondents who completed our 2023-28 Strategic Planning Survey. We appreciate their time and thoughtful reflections. They are enormously helpful!

A summary report of the results of the survey can be found on the SAR website, along with appendices of the backup data by stakeholder group. We invite you to review the report and share it with others who may be interested in our work.

Feedback from the survey will inform the drafting of the plan, which will go into effect on 1 September 2023. Thank you again for your ongoing support for the planning process and all of SAR’s work.

Ongoing violence in Ethiopia has devastated the country's higher education system. SAR continues to receive requests for assistance from scholars reporting persistent ethnic violence, discrimination, and barriers within academia that have upended lives across the country and into the farthest reaches of Ethiopia’s diaspora. 

Among the nearly 90 scholars seeking an academic placement in the SAR network are 6 scholars from Ethiopia. We urge SAR member institutions to consider these scholars for visiting appointments on your campus. If interested in hosting, please contact us at hostingatSAR@nyu.edu.

Nursing & Palliative Care Across Borders

Dr. Atsede Aregay is an Associate Professor of Nursing and Palliative Care and SAR scholar who joined the University of Agder in August 2022. She describes her research in Norway:

“The recent conflict in my country affected my academic career, promotion and productivity, and future plans in translating my research findings into practice because the higher education and the health care facilities in Tigray have collapsed. My current work at the University of Agder allowed me to continue my academic engagement, which is critical for my future career. Though I have only been here for a few months, with the support of wonderful staff and mentors at Agder, I am mentally strong, feel settled, and can get back to my routine of working hard and delivering outputs. For example, I have produced four manuscripts from my PhD thesis since moving to Norway in the first week of August 2022. Currently, I focus on nursing education and palliative care research and ambitiously plan to design a collaborative approach of improving nursing education and palliative care in Africa especially in Tigray.

I am building on my current research and the opportunity I received through the SAR network. I am drafting proposals to do more work on the subject and support my research career. I am one of the lucky few. Despite the peace agreement in my country, my colleagues back home, those who work at universities, are at risk – scholars have no academic freedom. Hence, I would like the SAR network to consider the applications of these scholars.” 

SAR is hiring a Development Officer – apply now, or help us spread the word! This role involves promoting Scholars at Risk programs and developing strategies to increase individual and foundation giving. Read more and apply »

SAR scholars are at-risk higher education professionals who exemplify the pursuit of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and university values. If your institution is interested in hosting a SAR scholar, please email hostingatSAR@nyu.edu.

A Scholar of Mathematics

This scholar specializes in mathematical statistics and probability and has 12 years of experience at institutions in Ethiopia and China. He has published multiple articles in international peer-reviewed journals on the topics of stochastic differential and dynamical systems and equations, including a recent article examining the statistical models used to measure the spread, persistence, and extinction of Covid-19. He reports risk due to the ongoing violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and the threats he faces there due to his Tigrayan ethnicity. He is seeking teaching and/or research opportunities beginning immediately.

(Ethiopia-731)

A Human Rights Lawyer and Researcher

This human rights lawyer and researcher has extensive experience in defending freedom of assembly and advocating on behalf of people who have been subject to police violence. She holds a PhD in law, has two years of university teaching and research experience at institutions in Russia and the United States, and has published refereed articles on children's and women's rights. She reports facing harassment, intimidation, and risk of prosecution and arrest in relation to her work. She is seeking research and/or teaching opportunities beginning immediately and is eligible for co-funding through SAR’s Practitioners at Risk program.

(Russia-622)

A Scholar of Literature

This scholar of comparative and English literature has over ten years of teaching and research experience at institutions in Yemen. He has taught a wide array of courses including 19th and 20th century poetry, literary criticism and theory, history of English literature, and creative writing. His current research project on comparative literature and literary translation examines the cultural impact of translated literature on the Arabic literary system. He reports risk due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen and seeking research and/or teaching opportunities beginning immediately. (Yemen-691)

April 26, 2023 marked seven years since Iranian authorities arrested Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish scholar of disaster medicine. Dr. Djalali has endured over 2,550 days in Evin Prison under cruel and inhumane conditions and has been under continuous threat of imminent execution.  Last week, SAR issued a letter to Swedish and Belgian authorities urging them to do everything in their power to secure Dr. Djalali’s immediate release. You can support Dr. Djalali by signing this letter. 

In SAR’s “Free to Think” podcast, SAR Executive Director Rob Quinn speaks with guests who inspire us with their courage to seek and speak truth — often at great risk — as well as those who work to defend them. Tune in now to our latest episodes, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms. Listen here »

Support human rights and stand in solidarity with at-risk scholars around the world. Your contribution helps promote their indispensable scholarship and allows us to advocate on their behalf, preserving everyone's right to think, question, and share ideas. Give today »

Attacks on academic freedom in the US & lessons learned from Orbán’s Hungary | On April 26, University of Ottawa’s Human Rights Research and Education Centre and the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas held a webinar on responding to attacks on academic freedom in the United States, and lessons learned from other similar contexts, including Viktor Orbán's Hungary. Watch the webinar here »

 

Scholars At Risk, University Communities, and Student Advocacy | On May 3, SAR network member University of Iowa hosted a webinar on “Scholars At Risk, University Communities, and Student Advocacy,” during which SAR staff and University of Iowa Student Advocacy Seminar participants discussed how universities and students can support academic freedom and threats to scholars across the globe. Watch the webinar here »

Exploring funding opportunities in the EU and beyond: Advice for researchers from Ukraine | On May 4, SAR Europe facilitated the first in a series of career development and networking sessions under the MSCA4Ukraine scheme. Topics included an overview of emergency support resources for Ukrainian scholars; research funding opportunities offered by the European Union; strategic approaches to applying for funding; the do’s and don’ts of applying for research funding; and a synopsis of insights and learnings gleaned from the MSCA4Ukraine application process. Watch the webinar here »

SCHOLAR RESOURCES

See a full list on SAR's website

Residential Fellowships for Displaced Ukrainian Scholars (Purdue University) | Rolling Deadline

Purdue University is offering additional research opportunities for Ukrainian scholars displaced by the Russian invasion. The program will be conducted from August 11, 2023 – July 27, 2024. For more information, please contact Michael A. Brzezinski, Vice President, Global Partnerships and Programs, mbrzezinski@purdue.edu

Read more »

Philosophers at Risk Visiting Scholar | Deadline: May 15, 2023

The Program on Ethics and Public Life at Cornell University invites applications to the Philosophers at Risk Visiting Scholar Fellowship for a duration of 2–4 months, anytime during the 2023-24 academic year at Cornell. The fellowship provides air-travel expenses; a stipend of $7,000–$9,000 (depending on duration of stay); assistance with US visa application; full access to library and other scholarly resources at Cornell; and other, informal, academic assistance as may be needed. 

Read more »

MESA Global Academy | Deadline: May 15, 2023

The MESA Global Academy offers competitive fellowships to Middle East Studies scholars from the MENA region who are currently displaced in North America. Eligibility criteria for the fellowships include: 1) holding a PhD or equivalent in a field in the social sciences or humanities (graduate students will not be considered); 2) the primary institutional affiliation was in the MENA region prior to displacement; and 3) a publication record indicating scholarly productivity (in English, French, a native MENA language, or principal research language of the field).

Read more »

EVENTS

Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative – Inspireurope+ Stakeholder Forum | May 23-24, 2023

AThe annual Philipp Schwartz and Inspireurope+ Stakeholder Forum will take place 23-24 May 2023 in Berlin. The programme will include panels and exchanges on institutional, national, European, and global initiatives to promote academic freedom and support scholars, with plenty of informal networking opportunities for participants. 

Read more »

MEDIA

“Bahran: How Canada can help promote peace in Yemen” Ottawa Citizen | April 24, 2023

An OpEd by Mustafa Bahran, a SAR alumnus, Yemen’s ex-minister of energy and electricity, and a physics visiting professor and instructor at Carleton University.

Read more »

“Higher education during conflict: how the Higher Education industry perseveres in times of distress” QS Insights Magazine | April 2023

Over one year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, QS investigates higher education in Ukraine, and organizations supporting institutions and scholars amid conflict. In the piece, SAR Deputy Director Sarah Willcox describes how SAR provides direct assistance to threatened scholars while also advocating to improve conditions which place scholars at risk in the first place.

Read more »

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SCHOLARS AT RISK is an independent not-for-profit corporation, hosted at New York University. Our international network of institutions and individuals shares a mission to protect threatened scholars, promote academic freedom, and prevent attacks on higher education communities around the world.

 

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