At a glance
Alfred State is celebrating International Week this week and kicked off events on Sunday. Nov. 11, with discussions led by a group of visiting Humphrey Fellows on topics that ranged from living in Africa today to arranged marriages, and clean-up work on the Ganges River in India.
Alfred State is celebrating International Week this week and kicked off events on Sunday. Nov. 11, with discussions led by a group of visiting Humphrey Fellows on topics that ranged from living in Africa today to arranged marriages, and clean-up work on the Ganges River in India.
Founded in 1978 in honor of the late senator and vice president, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a prestigious, non-degree program that fosters an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding between the United States and developing countries.
Each year, only 150 participants are selected from among 5,000 applicants worldwide. Fellows are nominated by US Embassies or Fulbright Commissions, based on their potential for leadership and a demonstrated commitment to public service in either the public or private sector.
Cornell University hosts Fellows in the fields of agriculture, environmental/natural resource management, and rural development while 14 other leading universities host Fellows in other fields. Alfred State serves as an associate campus for the Fellows at Cornell University. As a designated associate campus, Alfred State hosts individual and group visits by the Fellows and arranges professional, social, and volunteer activities on campus and in the rural Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania communities surrounding the campus.
This collaborative activity brings together faculty and staff resources from both institutions, as well as from several other partner institutions representing the public, private, and non-profit sectors, for exploratory discussions, action research, and capacity building related to rural development in the multi-county region of Western New York State and Northern Pennsylvania served by Alfred State.
This is fifth consecutive year that Alfred State has served as an associate campus in the Humphrey Fellow Program.
Photo caption – From left, Maina Dhital, journalist from Nepal; Dina Ramarifidy, urban planner from Madagascar; Ajay Rahava, environmental engineer from India; Herve-Joel Houango, environmental officer at the National Investment Bank from Cote D’Ivoire; Olayinka Omotosho, environmental officer and scientist from Nigeria; and Demelash Alem Ayana, university lecturer from Ethiopia.