SPURS/Humphrey Fellows at MIT touch my heart!

Each year, as part of its SPURS/Hubert Humphrey Program, MIT hosts a group of professionals from all over the world to study at MIT and specifically in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Here is the official statement from MIT:

The Institute of International Education in collaboration with a network of U.S. universities administers the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. The SPURS Program, as one of the host universities, welcomes 13 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows to MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning for the academic year 2009-2010. Between 1979 and 1989, 65 Humphrey Fellows participated in SPURS. They continue to support and demonstrate the benefits of the strong collaboration across both programs.

A Fulbright exchange activity with primary funding from the United States Department of State, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program brings accomplished professionals from designated countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Eurasia to the United States for a mid-career year of study and related professional experiences. The Program provides a basis for long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships among citizens of the United States and their professional counterparts in other countries, fostering an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world.

I work with these students each year, helping them to learn to communicate with each other and the larger community. This year our students are from: Namibia, Bhutan, Iraq, Niger, Lebanon, Sudan, China Bangladesh, Mozambique, Guinea, Ecudor, Mexico, Turkey, South Korea and Brazil. Here is a list of who we have visiting this year: http://web.mit.edu/spurs/www/community/index.html

On Friday, Clement, from Niger, came to my office to talk with me. I expected that he was wrestling with a paper he was writing for my class or that he would need to borrow a book or two. But, no. After a brief exchange, Clement handed me an envelope and inside was $380 in cash for Hearts and Hands to Haiti!! Clement told me that as ambassadors from countries from all over the world, it is their responsibility to join hands with Haiti to give. My tears are still flowing...