SAR Carleton is delighted to share the news that Norah Vollmer, who has been a key member of SAR since its inception at Carleton a decade ago, has been honoured with a Certificate of Appreciation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The IIE funds the Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF), one of the key external sources of financial support for Scholars at Risk living and working at Carleton. Its CEO, Allan Goodman, thanked Norah especially for her recent work in providing a “safe haven and academic home” for a scholar and his family. In his letter, Mr. Goodman wrote: “IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced scholars at partnering higher education institutions all over the world. Since 2002, our program has assisted 1,045 scholars from 62 countries in partnership with 469 host institutions in 55 countries. We are proud to count Carleton University among our partners. I am deeply grateful to you, to President Benoit-Antoine Bacon, and to all of your colleagues at Carleton University for your partnership in hosting IIE-SRF fellows. Thank you for providing a supportive environment where they can resume their important scholarly work and rebuild their lives and careers.”
Norah’s Certificate also reads: “Presented with deep gratitude for your extraordinary efforts to preserve the life, ideas, and work of a threatened scholar by providing a safe academic haven at Carleton University. Thank you for your partnership with IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund. Your support is deeply appreciated.”
Reporting to the Provost and Deputy Provost, Norah directs a team responsible for academic recruitment, immigration, faculty careers, human resources information systems, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion training. Norah has been a member of Carleton’s SAR program since its inception and initiated its sustainable budget model. As a first contact for many at-risk scholars, she has used her strong academic network to share best practices and encourage other SAR programs across Canada. With significant experience in governance, policy analysis, and strategic planning, she continues to manage the budget and is actively engaged in fundraising, program development, and settlement support.
Those of us who have worked with Norah at SAR Carleton know that aside from being our organizational heart, she has been an extraordinarily energetic, resourceful, and deeply compassionate member of the the organization, who has literally changed the lives of the so many exiled scholars who have passed through Carleton since 2013.