The Institute of International Education (IIE), an independent not-for-profit organization, has participated in the rescue of persecuted scholars since its founding in 1919. In 2002, IIE launched the Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) to formalize its commitment to protecting the lives, voices, and ideas of scholars around the globe. IIE-SRF selects outstanding professors, researchers, and public intellectuals for fellowship support and arranges visiting academic positions with partnering institutions of higher learning and research. Fellowships enable scholars to pursue their academic work in safety and to continue to share their knowledge with students, colleagues, and the community. If conditions in the scholars’ home countries improve, scholars may return after their fellowships to make meaningful contributions to their national academies and civil society. If safe return is not possible, scholars may use the fellowship period to identify longer-term opportunities. For more information, see SRF website.
Scholars at Risk protects scholars suffering grave threats to their lives, liberty and well-being by arranging temporary research and teaching positions at institutions in our network as well as by providing advisory and referral services.
The aims of the Society for Armenian Studies are to promote the study of Armenian culture and society, including history, language, literature, and social, political, and economic questions; to facilitate the exchange of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies around the world; and to sponsor panels and conferences on Armenian studies. The programs of the Society include publication of a Newsletter on the Society’s activities and on current research on Armenia; publication of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies, encouragement, sponsorship and publication of research on all facets of Armenian culture and society; and such other activities as the SAS council may from time to time determine.
President: Bedross Der Matossian
Executive Secretary: Katarina Terzyan
Membership - Annual Dues
Regular: $50
Student/Retired: $25
Supporting: $100
Institutional: $500
The Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Society - a professional society for specialist or non-specialist educators and other individuals whose professional activities actively engage the Middle East and Islam. The organization was founded in 1977 to provide scholars in the southeastern United States with an opportunity to meet regularly with colleagues to share research findings and teaching concerns. SERMEISS is an affiliated organization of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA).
The SERMEISS 10-state region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
President: Annie Tracy Samuel
Executive Director: Buket Oztas
Membership - Annual Dues
Full: $25
Associate: $20
Institutional: $200
The Sudans Studies Association is the foremost academic organization of scholars and educators interested in the study of the region from all over the world. Its goal is to promote and foster the research and study of the region, facilitate communication and cooperation among its members, nature new generations of scholars and encourage the publication of matter pertaining to Sudan studies.
The Sudans Studies Association is:
- An independent non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing Sudan Studies as a scientific discipline and profession
- Sponsor and host of an annual meeting that brings scholars from North American and other parts of the world
President: Lako Tongun
President-Elect: Bakry Elmedni
Executive Director: Souad T. Ali
Secretary: Fatima Abdelwahab
Membership - Annual Dues
Regular/Non-Profit: $50
Student: $30
Profit-making bodies: $500
The Syrian Studies Association is an international association organized to encourage and promote research and scholarly understanding of Syria in all periods and in all academic disciplines. The SSA is a non-profit, non-political association affiliated with MESA (The Middle East Studies Association of North America). Their goals are to promote the highest standards of scholarship and instruction, facilitate communication among our members, and to encourage dialogue between Middle Eastern, Western and all scholars of the Middle East. They award several prizes for the best written work on Syria, publish a newsletter about the latest developments and writing in our field, invite one or more Syrian scholars to MESA each year, sponsor academic panels at scholarly conferences, and provide information about how to study Arabic in Syria.
President: Edith Szanto
Membership - Annual Dues
Regular: $25
Student: $10
Institutional: $100