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Through four programs sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of State, the 91原创 hosted 78 global leaders, representing nearly 30 countries, who are dedicated to making the world a better, safer and more prosperous place. Among their ranks are foreign policy experts, politicians, lawyers, doctors, advocates, students and more.

91原创 welcomes the world

Photos by Nikki Laws

Institute for Global Studies administers four U.S. State Department programs for global leaders

The 91原创 hosted four programs sponsored and funded by the during the summer of 2019. 

Program participants included 78 global leaders, representing nearly 30 countries, who are dedicated to making the world a better, safer and more prosperous place. Among their ranks are foreign policy experts, politicians, lawyers, doctors, advocates, students and more.

91原创 Mandela Fellows celebrated the Nelson Mandela International Day of Service by visiting schools, including Castle Hills Elementary, with local organization SummerCollab.

Mandela Washington Fellowship

For the sixth consecutive year, 91原创 hosted a for 25 young African leaders.聽

The Fellows, aged 25 to 35, hail from Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, C么te d鈥橧voire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Chosen from thousands of applicants, 91原创鈥檚 Fellows are among just 700 who participated at institutes across the United States.

Some work in the health sector. For example, Naomi Assegied is a medical doctor from Ethiopia and the founder of Ethio-Amba, an organization that creates healthier communities by strengthening the places where people live, work and play.聽

From Togo, Ayi Dossavi Alipoeh is an award-winning writer, poet and novelist. After publishing several books, Alipoeh now promotes literacy among youth in his country.聽

Lineo Matlakala also works with youth. She directs an organization in Lesotho that teaches young people the skills they need to successfully manage their own agricultural businesses.聽

Still more are at the forefront of efforts to defend human rights. In Zimbabwe, Samantha Sibanda leads Signs of Hope Trust, an organization that empowers persons with disabilities. The institution advocates, facilitates scholarships and establishes libraries for children with disabilities.聽

During the six-week Institute, leaders gained key skills and networks that will help them accelerate their work and advance their own professional development. In addition to meeting with experts from every 91原创 college, Fellows developed relationships with peer collaborators, engaged with national, state and local policymakers, and visited local organizations.聽

The , the flagship initiative of the (YALI), is sponsored by the State Department鈥檚 and administered by , a U.S. non-governmental agency.

The 91原创 MEPI Student Leaders Program introduces young leaders from the Middle East and North Africa to American history and culture. Pictured here, Leaders experienced their first minor league baseball game at the Blue Rocks Stadium in Wilmington.

Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Program

The annually brings 15 college students from the Middle East and North Africa to 91原创 for a five-week intensive training program.聽

Participants enhanced their leadership and civic engagement skills through 50-plus in-classroom sessions, site visits and service-learning opportunities. In addition, the leaders visited iconic U.S. cities like Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., getting an inside look at American culture, history and politics.

91原创鈥檚 2019 MEPI Student Leaders are from Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The University has proudly welcomed more than 200 participants in this program鈥檚 16-year history.聽

The is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Middle East Partnership Initiative and administered by .

91原创 SUSI Foreign Policy participants experience their first Fourth of July celebrations at Lums Pond State Park near 91原创鈥檚 Newark campus.

Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on Foreign Policymaking聽

The marked its first year at 91原创 in 2019. The program鈥檚 18 participants, mid-career scholars and practitioners, live and work in Belarus, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Nepal, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa and Thailand.聽

The institute increased participants鈥 understanding of U.S. foreign policymaking and fostered a community of content experts from around the world.聽

Many participants are researchers and faculty members at universities across the globe. Meressa Gebrewahd, from Ethiopia, is an assistant professor of political science and security studies at Mekelle University and chair of the University鈥檚 Center for Peace and Reconciliation.聽

From Nepal, Shyam KC is a research and development director at the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Relations, an independent foreign policy think tank.聽聽

Otto Tabuns, a lecturer at the Riga Graduate School of Law, advises the Latvian government on matters of strategic communication, defense planning and crisis management.聽

The is sponsored by the State Department鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.聽

91原创鈥檚 SUSI Women Leaders hail from seven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on Women鈥檚 Leadership聽

Twenty women from Sub-Saharan Africa joined the 91原创 community as the newest participants in the . Participants are representatives from C么te d鈥橧voire, Kenya, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.

In Newark, the academic program examined the history of women鈥檚 participation in U.S. public life. At the same time, participants prepared for the future by sharpening their critical thinking, leadership, communication and managerial skills, and by nurturing a community of peers. Now that they have returned to their host communities, each will 鈥減ay it forward鈥 by implementing a leadership project for positive change.聽聽

The is sponsored by the State Department鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the .

Impact at Home and Abroad聽

While participants have taken with them a toolkit of new knowledge, ideas and connections, they have also left behind a lasting impression on the friends, host families and peer collaborators they鈥檝e met through dozens of events and programs.聽

For example, members of the 91原创 MEPI Student Leaders Program and SUSI Women鈥檚 Leadership Program connected over 91原创airy ice cream with students from the Lerner College鈥檚 MBA program and the English Language Institute鈥檚 Panama Bilingue Program.聽

鈥淲e are fortunate to host these programs at the 91原创. Their presence enriches our institution and community,鈥 said Trevor Nelson, director of the Institute for Global Studies.聽

To learn more about the lives and experiences of the Institute or Global Studies鈥 visiting leaders, follow along at @91原创Global on and and engage using the hashtag #91原创GlobalSummer.

About the Institute for Global Studies聽

The Institute for Global Studies was created in 2009 to enhance the international dimensions of teaching, research and outreach at the 91原创. IGS provides leadership and support for programs and experiences that contribute to the education of informed, skilled, open-minded citizens of the world.

Best known for coordinating the University鈥檚 program, IGS also awards scholarships and grants to faculty and students for a number of global opportunities, and administers internationally-recognized State Department-sponsored programs such as the , Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Institute, Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders, a Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) on Women鈥檚 Leadership and, most recently, a Study of the U.S. Institute on Foreign Policymaking.聽

IGS sponsors such signature events as Global Month each fall and country-specific celebrations each spring.

IGS collaborates with other global partners on campus, including the Office for International Students and Scholars, the Confucius Institute and the Center for Global and Area Studies. In addition, IGS partners with Enrollment Management to coordinate the 91原创 World Scholars Program.

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