To all Carleton University Community Members,
In 2014, Carleton University and the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) agreed to collaborate in joining the international Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network. The University of Ottawa joined Carleton in this initiative, and we are very proud to have co-hosted our first SAR scholar, Hossein Raeesi during the 2015-‘16 academic year. He demonstrated the incredible value of this program and he was very well received at Carleton and the University of Ottawa, as well as in the broader Ottawa community.
SAR is an international network of higher education institutions dedicated to protecting threatened scholars, preventing attacks on the founding principles of higher education and promoting academic freedom worldwide. The network protects scholars suffering grave threats to their lives, liberty and well-being by arranging positions of sanctuary at institutions in the network. In addition to Carleton and Ottawa, other Canadian members are Centennial College, Concordia, McGill, McMaster, Memorial, Ottawa, Guelph, Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Western, Windsor, Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver Island and York University. SAR is not just about providing refuge; it also benefits the local academic community. Indeed, SAR participants bring their scholarly knowledge from around the world and provide a different lens through which to understand and analyze subject matter. For more details and information about this important program, please visit the international SAR website at http://scholarsatrisk.nyu.edu. For more information about Carleton’s SAR initiative, including committee members and events, please visit https://carleton.ca/provost/scholars-at-risk/
We are now in the process of appointing a second SAR scholar. We are seeking a total of $60,000 split evenly between Carleton and the University of Ottawa that will support a SAR scholar for one academic year. The Office of the Provost at Carleton has again pledged up to $15,000 to match funds donated by members of the Carleton community, including members of CUASA, to reach the Carleton target. A number of individuals have made very generous donations (such as $50 per pay slip) and we hope that through many donations, both small and large, we will raise $15,000 to match the amount provided by the Office of the Provost. Last year’s campaign was very successful, and we hope that this year’s giving campaign will be equally so.
November 29, 2016 is “Giving Tuesday” at Carleton, and we encourage you to make a donation on this day to take advantage of the matching gifts available in support of the next and future SAR scholars. You can donate through FutureFunder with a one-time gift, a monthly pledge, or payroll deduction at https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/scholars-at-risk-fund-giving/. Your contribution will make a difference in a scholar’s life, and all of us will benefit.
On behalf of Carleton University and CUASA, we thank you for your support and look forward to hosting our second SAR scholar soon.
Peter Ricketts, Provost and Vice-President (Academic)
Patrice Smith, President, CUASA