USC becomes member of IIE’s Syria Consortium


USC will offer scholarships for up to five Syrian graduate students and one undergraduate student who are unable to continue their education in their home country due to the unrest in the region, the University announced Monday.

The announcement follows a university pledge on March 28 to uphold a resolution passed by the Graduate Student Government in October 2015. The resolution called for USC to join the more than 50 higher education institutions as a member of the Institute of International Education Syria Consortium for Higher Education in Crisis, which connects displaced Syrian students with university funding sources.

“The University of Southern California is proud to deepen our work with the Institute of International Education by joining the IIE Syria Consortium, furthering our contribution to one of the most pressing humanitarian issues around the world,” Vice President for Strategic and Global Initiatives Anthony Bailey said in the press release.

Students who receive the scholarships, offered to those who meet USC admission standards, will arrive on campus in Spring 2017. Full-tuition scholarships for master’s degrees will be offered by the Price School for Public Policy, Viterbi School of Engineering and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In addition, one full-tuition scholarship will go to an undergraduate student in any major, and the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences will provide additional funding for Ph.D. candidates.

The civil war in Syria, which began in 2011, has displaced more than half of the country’s population. The Obama administration agreed to accept 10,000 refugees in 2015, many of whom will be resettled in the Los Angeles area through organizations such as the International Rescue Committee. Many of those who come to the United States will be looking to resume their education, a process that the University has an obligation to support, said Vice Provost of Academic and Faculty Affairs Elizabeth Graddy.

“A university with the stature and profile of USC must ensure that students and scholars of all backgrounds are afforded the opportunity to be part of a culture of academic excellence,” Graddy said in the press release. “Our participation in the IIE Syria Consortium speaks to our commitment to the public good and to our status as a global university by assisting those whose educations have been hindered by turmoil and warfare.”

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the civil war in Syria began in 2012. It began in 2011. The Daily Trojan regrets the error.