The Hungarian Student, 1958 (2. évfolyam, 1-7. szám)
1958 / 1. szám
the Hungarian student 7 Facts and Figures English Language Training Centers used throughout the Refugee Student Program: Bard College, New York—for 325 students St. Michael’s, Vermont—for 100 students Schools which trained groups of ten to twenty-five students : Columbia Teachers College, New York, N.Y. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. Southwestern Louisiana Institute, Lafyette, La. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N. M. Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa. Manhattan College, New York, N.Y. Carroll College, Helena, Mont. Queens College, Flushing, N. Y. Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, 111. Earlham College, Richmond, Ind. University of Illinois, Urbana, 111. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla. University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. Contributions to the Hungarian Refugee Student Program: International Rescue Committee $125,000 First Aid for Hungary 76,000 Kellogg Foundation 50,000 Milbank Memorial Fund 15,000 Other Sources (including Commonwealth Fund) 30,000 TOTAL: $296,000 » I E “Crash Program” Successful D, FURING the Revolution, the Hungarian people made a desperate attempt to free themselves, even though they were eventually crushed by military forces. The Revolution produced an exodus of people seeking safety in other lands. Hundreds of young men and women students eventually made their way to the United States. The President’s Committee for Hungarian Refugee Relief, set up to meet the Hungarian refugee emergency and headed by Tracy S. Voorhees, concluded that a stepped-up program was necessary to take care of the young Freedom Fighters whose education had been interrupted by the Revolution. A Joint Policy Committee for the Hungarian Refugee Student Program had previously been set up by the Institute of International Education and the World University Service. It was chaired by Dr. George N. Shuster, president of Hunter College. Representatives were included from the Institute of International Education, the World University Service, the w u « U II H G A ti I A H t I M A N C 1 À I H O G U H $ 396,000 + $ IM.OOO V u International Rescue Committee, the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and resettlement agencies. John A. Krout, provost and vice-president of Columbia University and Mr. Voorhees, both of the President’s Committee, also served with this group. The committee soon realized that there were a large number of Hungarian students coming to the United States and that placing these students in American colleges and universities demanded a “crash program.” The committee therefore called on the services of the Institute of International Education and the World University Service. IIE-WUS immediately went to work to meet the emergency. At the same time, HE and WUS sent a letter asking for scholarship help to more than 1,200 accredited colleges and universities in the United States. It soon became apparent that many of the Hungarian students did not speak English well enough to study in American classrooms. In order to meet this problem HE last spring set up an English language training program. Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York and Saint Michael’s College in Vermont offered their facilities for the establishment of English language centers. Over 300 Hungarian students went to Bard for an intensive twomonths English language training and 100 others studied at Saint Michael’s for fifteen weeks. In addition, fifteen colleges and universities set up English language programs for small groups, totaling 225 students. Funds to support these programs were given by the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The schools handling these programs also made large financial contributions. Meanwhile, the letters sent out soliciting scholarships had brought an unexpected response. Approximately 500 scholarship offers came in immediately, and before the termination of the IIE-WUS Refugee Program on October 1, 1957, a total of 1,086 scholarships, full and partial, were offered by American colleges and universities. In less than one year the emergency of the Hungarian refugee student was met. As of October 1, the integrated unit of IIE-WUS was terminated and the remaining activities turned over to WUS alone. The IIE-WUS unit had been in joint operation since April 15, with its cost underwritten by a special grant from the President’s Fund. The program was summed up by Mr. Richard C. Raymond, director of the joint IIE-WUS student project: “We have managed to place all the highly qualified and exceptional Hungarian students who came to this country.”
