UC Irvine Giving Day

Thanks to the generosity of the UC Irvine Administration and the greater UC Irvine community, the UC Irvine Scholars at Risk (SAR) program has been able to host eleven scholars from Afghanistan, Cameroon, China, Turkey and Ukraine on our campus over the past eigth years. In each case, we have been able to offer a safe space for these scholars and their families to escape the grave risks they faced at home, including not only harassment for their teaching and research focus and termination of employment, but also the threat of imprisonment and the impact of ongoing war. One of our former hosted scholars had been abducted and held for ransom, for example. Once freed, this scholar was able to make her way to safety here at UC Irvine. 

With the assistance of the Scholars at Risk program and the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, two international networks organized to support academic freedom, UC Irvine has been tremendously lucky to have been able to host these colleagues, They have worked in highly specialized labs and brought their expertise into undergraduate and graduate classrooms, held public lectures, participated in conferences and workshops, and published their research. They have also offered us outstanding examples of resilience under pressure and the courage to carry on with the work of higher education in spite of the myriad challenges they have faced. We all stand to benefit from the lessons that these colleagues can share with us about how to survive, indeed, how to thrive in uncertain times when the way forward is not always immediately clear.

"I came to UC Irvine School of Law after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. My time at UC Irvine has been transformative—not just a period of academic growth, but a foundational chapter that reshaped how I approach my work every day. Working alongside brilliant minds and supervising dedicated students, I have been able to work on pressing human rights issues facing my country and advocate for change. I simply could not have accessed this opportunity without the SAR program."

-Hashmat Nadirpor

Conflicts abroad have not abated, as we all know, and UC Irvine Scholars at Risk now needs your help more than ever to support scholars who are currently in residence and to continue to welcome new colleagues to our campus, in both cases offering them a safe harbor far from the precarious political situations and conflict zones they face at home. Our goal is to support these scholars as they adapt to new academic, social, and political contexts here, but also to assist them as they plan to return, when possible, to rebuild systems of higher education around the world, armed with the knowledge and skills and good will towards the U.S. gained during their time on our campus. 

Our immediate needs are to raise $65,000 to support our existing at-risk colleagues and their work on campus. Over and above these immediate needs, we seek funds to allocate to our scholars in cases of emergency costs related to ongoing changes in visa policies.

"From both a strategic and personal standpoint, the Scholars at Risk Program at UC Irvine has provided me with a safe haven that allows me to continue my teaching and research for the benefit of both my home university and UC Irvine, free from the threats associated with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

My teaching at UCI has acquired a particularly meaningful practical dimension. Through courses such as Black Sea Politics, Russian Foreign Policy, Public International Law, U.S. and Western European Leadership, Hybrid Threats, and Geopolitics of War, I engage students both in Ukraine (online) and in the United States (in person) in critical discussions about contemporary international security, the legal and political dimensions of Russia’s aggression, and the broader geopolitical consequences of the war, including the interconnected tensions surrounding other authoritarian regimes.

These courses therefore serve not only academic purposes but also contribute to countering official narratives—such as those promoted by Putin’s Russia—that seek to justify the aggression of non-democratic regimes and undermine the rules-based international order, not only in Europe but worldwide." 
-Sergii Glebov

We have been heartened by the generosity of the greater UC Irvine community and by the number of friends of the campus who have contributed to our efforts to support Scholars at Risk at UC Irvine in the past. Thanks to all of you who have contributed! At this juncture, we would like to ask for your help – either again or for the first time – in reaching our goal. 

Why They Give: Testimonials from SAR Supporters

"Wittingly or unwittingly, the scholars at risk are the brain trust for their countries. They have persevered against overwhelming discrimination, yet carry on their academic work as expatriates or refugees. How can I not support their endeavors? They are keeping alive the spirit of their communities."
-Christina J. Woo

"As a retired professor at UC Irvine, Linda Williams wanted to donate her required minimum distribution from her IRAs to education. As an educator myself, I agreed that we should support Scholars at Risk (SAR).  The program has brought several distinguished faculty from Turkey, Cameroon, Ukraine and Afghanistan to teach at UC Irvine for one or two years.  Away from war torn or repressive environments, they have finally had the freedom to research and teach in a far more open environment at UC Irvine. These scholars also offer U.S. scholars and students alike their unique intellectual perspectives."
-Paul Fitzgerald  

Please make your gift today to support this crucial initiative. Your gift will go directly to paying for transportation to and within the U.S., visa-related costs, salary, health insurance, and basic living expenses, so that our colleagues may continue to enrich our campus community and pursue their education, research, and teaching in a safe environment. 

Thank you so much for your support of UC Irvine’s Scholars at Risk program! 

Jane O. Newman 
UC Irvine Faculty Liaison for Scholars at Risk