Hassan Almohammed
The first hosting of a Scholar at Risk occurred in the Winter-Fall 2018. Dr Hassan Almohammed, a Syrian scholar of French poetry and arts, was invited for two quarters to teach courses cross-listed in the French, Comparative Literature, Religious Studies, and Film & Media programs. The Dean of Humanities put up the money for that first hiring, and the UCSB Faculty Association (SBFA) provided all sorts of financial and social assistance to make Dr. Almohammed comfortable. Still, the experience with Dr. Almohammed taught us that UCSB needed to institute protocols for hosting scholars both on campus and systemwide. Prof. Claudio Fogu spearheaded both efforts and was soon joined by Prof. Kum-Kum Bhavnani and HFA Assistant Dean, Kathleen Moore, to create what we now call the "SAR/SRF Hosting Initiative." Dr. Almohammed has gone on to teach in Turkey and is currently in his second year at Wesleyan University.
In winter 2022, Professor Elisabeth Ayuk-Etang, a scholar of women's literature in Africa, was identified and selected as the first official SAR/SRF to be hosted in the AY 2022-3. Thanks to the funds collected by SBFA, the EVC/Chancellor's contribution of $25,000 and the SRF fellowship she won, Prof. Ayuk-Etang was able to come with her husband and three children, to find an appropriate accommodation, and set in motion the next part of her academic path during her stay. She is currently teaching as a visiting professor at Xavier University, New Orleans. At the end of Prof. Ayuk-Etang's stay, Prof. Claudio Fogu asked and obtained the doubling of the EVC/Chancellor's Contribution, bringing it to $50,000.