So often, donors give money to a cause, yet never see the impact of their gift. For faculty at the Human Rights Institute (HRI) at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, the possibility of having a human rights internship expand as a result of their generosity inspired them to give.
But what made the HRI response different was the extent of the effort: Every last individual teaching as part of the institute stepped forward to contribute to the Close to Home campaign. Their efforts helped the institute provide money to send students further abroad than any previously had traveled.
“People like to give money that will help students in a very tangible way,” says Professor Richard Hiskes, HRI’s associate director. Hiskes and Eleni Coundouriotis, an associate professor of English who was the acting director of the Institute at the time, were instrumental in encouraging support of the campaign.
Says Coundouriotis, “We’re pretty proud of the support given this fund by the HRI faculty.“
UConn offers a minor in human rights, and Hiskes says the University is moving toward establishing a major. The minor requires students to participate in an internship, and several students in the past have gone beyond the standard expectations. A group of students founded a human rights journal, Namaste, for which they collected poems, papers and photography from interested students. “It’s a rather stunning journal,” Hiskes says. The phrase Namaste essentially means ‘I bow to you.’
Students have worked with Lawyers without Borders, in local social service agencies, and abroad in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, with a student internship beginning in London soon.
“It’s hard to say with certainty, but I believe all of them carry with them the importance of human rights activism in their lives,” Hiskes says. “They are really committed students.”
The faculty stepped up to help while HRI Director Richard Wilson was on sabbatical, but Hiskes says Wilson’s influence was clearly present. “He gets a lot of credit for this,” Hiskes says. “It’s the environment he established that led to the success of this effort.”
For more information on supporting the Human Rights Institute, please contact the Foundation's development department.
