BRISTOL, R.I., July 2008 – This summer, Roger Williams University is one of six universities hosting top undergraduate students from the Middle East and North Africa through the Student Leaders Institute, a part of the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative.
 
Sixteen students arrived at Roger Williams last week and are taking part in the intensive six-week program aimed at introducing them to American culture, democracy, leadership and civic rights. They will stay at the University until August 2 to participate in an array of leadership seminars, technology workshops and sightseeing/educational field trips.

The MEPI program is an extension of the University’s efforts in convening people and groups that promote positive change in the Middle East. The program is an example of the type of cultural exchange programs that RWU has facilitated in an effort to promote better cross-cultural understanding. Roger Williams University President Roy J. Nirschel, who has met the students personally and learned from them, knows the students will take what they learn in the U.S. back to their own countries next month.

In response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush Administration created the Middle East Partnership Initiative in 2002 to support the reformers working to build a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East. This year, 120 students are participating at the six colleges and universities.

The 16 students at RWU arrived in Washington on June 30, where they spent five days participating in the Student Leaders Institute orientation, touring the nation’s capitol and experiencing the Independence Day celebration in the National Mall.

A sampling of their agenda during their Roger Williams University residence includes:
• A visit with the Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch
• Field trips to the Audubon Society of Rhode Island and the South County Hot Air Balloon Festival
• A meeting with Christopher Lydon, former NPR radio host of “The Connection”
• A five-day sightseeing trip to Boston, facilitated with RWU partner University of the Middle East Project
• Daily seminars and workshops, with topics including: “Civil Military Relations,” “Speaking and Communicating,” “Engaging Philanthropy” and “Conflict Resolution and Consensus Building”

The students will conclude their U.S. visit with a 10-day stay at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a return to Washington for the closing program.

Also this month, RWU is partnering with the University of the Middle East Project to conduct the Collaborative Arts Initiative, a program that joins educators from the Middle East, North Africa and the United States and fosters peace and cultural understanding through the creation of artwork.

Other highlights of RWU’s efforts include: facilitating the colloquium, “Intellectual Freedom in the Middle East: Perspectives and Opportunities,” in April 2008; assisting the rescue of an Iraqi scholar in September 2007; and hosting Middle East students through the State Department Plus Program in 2006.