On the Bright Side: Updates for the Johns Hopkins SAIS community
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff –
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects have been challenging for the entire Johns Hopkins SAIS community. In an effort to highlight good news within our community during this time, the Office of Communications & Marketing is launching, On the Bright Side, a newsletter intended to share stories ranging from accolades to happenings of the school’s students, staff, and faculty.
The first edition of On the Bright Side is included below. Special thanks to my colleagues Nate Thompson and Jason Lucas for curating the content. If you have suggestions for future editions of the newsletter, please submit them for consideration via email to: [email protected].
Stay safe and well,
Miji Bell
Director of Communications and Media Relations
April 29, 2020
SAIS Europe Donates to Local Coronavirus Relief Efforts
SAIS Europe is supporting the Stronger TOGETHER project, created by the Policlinico Sant‘Orsola Foundation in Bologna, Italy. Established March 9, the project strives to help area hospitals and healthcare professionals who are on the frontlines of combating coronavirus. To support the project, SAIS Europe donated more than 150 nights at Aemilia Hotel in Bologna to medical workers from local hospitals who care for coronavirus patients. SAIS Europe joined other companies in the area that have donated money, transportation, and other services for this effort.COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund Launched
Our students are facing unprecedented financial hardships, which not only bring significant stress but can also affect their ability to thrive in their graduate studies. In response, Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) has created the COVID-19 Student Emergency Fund (SEF) to help alleviate temporary financial hardships so students can focus on achieving their academic goals. Initial funding support has come from the generosity of SAIS alumni and friends, as well as a very special contribution from the current SAIS SGA. The SEF will provide students with immediate access to essential funding for expenses, including but not limited to: technological resources to increase participation in virtual learning, necessary household expenses, unexpected travel costs, or loss of income as a result of COVID-19. Read more.
Student Sews Masks While Social Distancing
Leah Danville MA '20 is utilizing her sewing hobby to help others protect themselves from coronavirus. Since the beginning of April, Danville has sewn and sold approximately 100 face masks using Batik fabric she purchased in Malaysia while teaching English as a Fulbright scholar. You can see Danville’s face masks by visiting her Instagram account: @bolehlah_accessories.
SAIS Europe Staffer Volunteers to Support Coronavirus Response
Vittoria Fortuna, Alumni Relations Coordinator at SAIS Europe, is supporting local coronavirus efforts in Bologna, Italy, by volunteering with the Red Cross approximately 10 hours each weekend. Since the first weekend of March, Vittoria has assisted with either temperature screenings at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, decontaminating ambulances following the transport of COVID-19 patients, distributing face masks, or delivering groceries and medicine to older Bologna residents who are unable to leave their homes.
JHU Takes the Most Boren Fellowships for 2020-21
JHU students will receive eight Boren Fellowships from the International Institute for Education next year, including four from SAIS! (Daniel Brooks MA '21, Chantal Davis MA '20, Nicholas Henderson MAIS '21, Alexander Kaplan MA '21) The university’s eight recipients makes JHU the top institution for Boren Fellowships in 2020-21. The fellowships fund the intensive study of language and culture abroad by U.S. graduate students. Read more.
Student Named Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator
The U.S. Department of State recently named Joe Twinem MA '20 a Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator. The mission of the Foreign Affairs Campus Coordinator Program is to establish outreach partnerships with colleges and universities throughout the United States to better inform the academic community about U.S. foreign policy priorities. Since 2008, the program has created a network of former State Department student intern contacts on college campuses across the U.S.
Practicum Team Dodges Danger to Complete Field Research
International Development practicum students Saksham Khosla MA '20, Sarah Sassoon MA '20, Rohan Srinivas MA '20, and Sophie Wang MA '20, completed their field research over winter break, first in Jakarta during a flood, followed by Manila after a volcanic eruption…definitely a demonstration of resilience and working through adversity! The team’s project assessed regulatory frameworks for digital financing of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for the International Finance Corporation’s SME Finance Forum. Read more.
SAIS Europe Celebrates Virtual Alumni Weekend 2020
SAIS Europe Celebrates Virtual Alumni Weekend 2020
SAIS Europe will celebrate its 65th anniversary by hosting a Virtual Alumni Weekend, May 1-2. Since the pandemic prevented an in-person event, alumni from around the world will come together virtually to celebrate this milestone. SAIS Europe alumni are invited to participate in Back to Class sessions, panel discussions, a State of the School address, career advising sessions with alumni and current SAIS Europe students, class reunions, and virtual spritz receptions. Members of the SAIS Europe alumni community may register online.
Strategic Studies Virtual Staff Ride Explores Iran Hostage Crisis
On April 26, students in the Strategic Studies program hosted a virtual staff ride exploring the Iran Hostage Crisis and negotiations between Iran and the US to return the Americans held captive for more than a year. Quartermasters James Byers MA '20 and Anne-Marie Mills MA '20 were joined by a team of student volunteers to organize the extensive eight-hour event attended by more than 40 students from SAIS Europe and the Washington, DC campus. Director of Strategic Studies Mara Karlin and Associate Director of Strategic Studies Paula Thornhill were impressed with the participating faculty and student leaders for adapting this staff ride to the virtual format for a highly engaging and rewarding learning experience. The event included reenactments of debates between 1980 U.S. presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a simulation of hostage negotiations with the Khomeini regime, and an appearance by Ambassador John Limbert who was one of the 52 American hostages held in captivity during the crisis.
On April 26, students in the Strategic Studies program hosted a virtual staff ride exploring the Iran Hostage Crisis and negotiations between Iran and the US to return the Americans held captive for more than a year. Quartermasters James Byers MA '20 and Anne-Marie Mills MA '20 were joined by a team of student volunteers to organize the extensive eight-hour event attended by more than 40 students from SAIS Europe and the Washington, DC campus. Director of Strategic Studies Mara Karlin and Associate Director of Strategic Studies Paula Thornhill were impressed with the participating faculty and student leaders for adapting this staff ride to the virtual format for a highly engaging and rewarding learning experience. The event included reenactments of debates between 1980 U.S. presidential candidates Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, a simulation of hostage negotiations with the Khomeini regime, and an appearance by Ambassador John Limbert who was one of the 52 American hostages held in captivity during the crisis.
Have an update to share with Johns Hopkins SAIS students, staff, and faculty for this newsletter? Please submit it for consideration to [email protected] .