Scholars Under Threat News
Defying the Odds
A three-part series by Afghan journalist Fatima Faizithat on SUT alumni's experiences.
Elja’s Voice for the Powerless
Afghan artist Sharifa “Elja” Sharifi fled Afghanistan and found a new beginning with Cornell's art museum.
Cartoonist Pedro X. Molina continues to challenge Nicaragua’s dictatorship with a daily cartoon.
After fleeing a government crackdown in Turkey, sociologist Azat Gündoğan found a "lifeline" at Cornell.
Scholars and Students in the News
Full listing
Pedro X. Molina joined a panel at Syracuse's new Institute for Democracy Journalism and Citizenship In Washington, DC, to discuss democracy, journalism, citizenship, and cartooning (timestamp: 1:11).
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“To me, the ability to host scholars under threat and to work with IIE is really core to the entire mission of higher education and the mission of the university,” says Wendy Wolford, vice provost for international affairs.
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Mursal Rahim MPA '25 is an Afghan scholar studying human rights and social justice in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy.
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Scholar Sharif Hozoori writes about the ways freedom of expression and democracy are intertwined.
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"The resurgence of the Taliban poses renewed threats to the Hazaras, characterized by escalated violence, discrimination, and isolation," writes visiting scholar Tawab Danish.
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From a sociologist accused of treason to a political cartoonist to an Afghan artist, displaced scholars fleeing conflicts in their home countries have found refuge at Cornell, which has hosted more Institute of International Education scholar and artist fellows than any other university in the world.
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Eugene Nikiforovich, a fluid mechanics expert from Ukraine, researches geothermal energy and its properties—work he has been able to continue with support from Cornell since leaving Kyiv two years ago.
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Afghan scholar Tawab Danish spoke at an event hosted by Einaudi's South Asia Program titled Hazaras and Shias: Violence, Discrimination, and Exclusion Under Taliban Rule. "We should use sanctions to force the Taliban to sit at the negotiation table. Otherwise, they have the power," said Danish.
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Azat Gündoğan is a former IIE-Scholar Rescue Fellow who was hosted in the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. The resources and connections he built at Cornell helped him to land a job. Now, he is an assistant teaching professor in the University Honors Program at Florida State University.
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For its work supporting international scholars whose work puts them at risk in their home countries, Cornell has been awarded the Institute of International Education’s Centennial Medal, which celebrates the achievements and leadership of individuals and institutions that have made important contributions to international education.