The University Alliance for Refugees and At-Risk Migrants (UARRM) is a group of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to harness the potential of university communities for the empowerment and protection of refugees and at-risk migrants. It gathers vested parties across relevant sectors including migrants, refugees, student associations, the Academy, education think tanks, legislators, local government, ecumenical education institutions, and the international community (e.g., United Nations agencies).

 

The UARRM’s mandate centers on higher education and vocational training for refugee and at-risk migrant students, threatened scholars (i.e., scholars fleeing conflict and/or repression), and, when relevant, members of their families.

 

Following a year of consultations that culminated in an expert brainstorming meeting at SUNY Global Centre in New York on November 29th, 2017, the UARRM was formally presented on February 2nd, 2018 at a Conference hosted by Rutgers University.  A formal launch will take place at Rutgers in July 2018.  The UARRM’s Steering Committee, established in January 2018 is comprised of eleven members.

 

The UARRM’s functions are five-fold:

 

• Scope (map) existing efforts underway in the US by Action Area (below).

 

• Centralize updated information through a dedicated webpage (forthcoming).

 

• Communicate this information with interested partners inside and outside the Academy, helping to bring additional visibility to existing University-led efforts.

 

• Bring together relevant parties to take actions in these different areas.

 

• Help expand and/or spring-board promising initiatives.

 

The UARRM’s areas of work concentrate on the six “Action Areas” already undertaken or to be undertaken by university communities. It is understood that these Action Areas are and should continue to be mutually supportive. Each Action Area will be taken forward by champions -individuals who represent vested institutional partners.