Launched in response to the war in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Global Student Haven Initiative will provide a pathway for students affected by worldwide crises to apply to U.S.-based colleges and universities – and access support when they arrive.
Participating institutions commit to providing financial aid for all students with demonstrated need, and access to campus services ranging from housing assistance to mental health support depending on individual needs.
Bowdoin College, Caltech, Dartmouth College, New York University, Pomona College, Smith College, Trinity College and Williams College comprise the initial membership of the consortium, and higher education institutions across the U.S. are invited to join and commit to this effort in the months ahead.
At Pomona College, scholarship funding for refugee students will be made possible by two gifts: a $1.2 million gift from Florence and Paul Eckstein ’62 and $1 million gift from the Fletcher Jones Foundation.
The aim of the initiative is to help clear the path to U.S. institutions for qualified students who are displaced, are refugees or are otherwise impacted by war, natural disasters and other global crises.
The initiative seeks to help students overcome barriers to carry on their education and prepare for eventual return to their home nation.
“This is about opening doors and helping people through them,” says Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr. “The global disruptions of recent years have tested American higher education’s long commitment to reaching out to the world. We seek to reaffirm our global ties, starting with the urgent needs of students facing the devastation of war.”