During the week of Aug. 5, 16 international fellows are convening to share knowledge about climate action and leadership in collaboration with Indiana University researchers and staff on the IU Bloomington and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campuses.
The Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship is part of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange, that provides accomplished professionals from countries with emerging economies with international enrichment opportunities in leadership and public service. Since 1978, more than 6,400 fellows from 163 countries have participated in the program.
Representing 14 countries, the Distinguished Humphrey Fellows, co-hosted by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI), IUPUI’s Office of International Affairs, and IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs Executive Education, will be sharing perspectives and best practices with IU researchers and staff, spending time on the Bloomington campus to learn about ERI’s various climate action tools and programs. At IUPUI, fellows will hear from researchers about the impacts of climate change, the value of communicating about climate change, and how to engage stakeholders in climate action.
The workshop is part of a three-week professional development experience in which fellows will be placed with US organizations in the Midwest and elsewhere that align with their professional interests. Placement organizations include the Midwest Climate Collaborative, Green Umbrella, Earth Charter Indiana, Gnarly Tree Sustainability Institute, Second Nature, IndyStar, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, The Climate Initiative, and Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership.
“Climate change is a global issue whose impacts are felt most acutely at the local level,” said ERI Executive Director Gabriel Filippelli, who helped organize the workshop. “We are thrilled to be hosting such a talented group of individuals from around the world and engaging them about what we’ve learned about climate action in the Midwest. In addition to imparting our knowledge, we expect to learn even more about the global challenges of climate change—its impacts and solutions—from our fellows.”
About the Environmental Resilience Institute
Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute brings together a broad coalition of government, business, nonprofit, and community leaders to help Indiana and the Midwest better prepare for the challenges of environmental change. By integrating research, education, and community, ERI is working to create a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.
About Indiana University Executive Education
Indiana University Executive Education was founded in 1979 and is offered through the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The mission of Executive Education is to create better leaders for stronger and more innovative organizations. The group works with government, healthcare, and nonprofits to provide leadership training, consulting, graduate degrees, and credit and noncredit certificates, both domestically and overseas.
About the IUPUI Office of International Affairs
The Office of International Affairs is the hub of international activities at IUPUI and offers comprehensive support for international campus and curriculum internationalization, international partnerships, international student services, and study abroad.
About the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Program
An initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Distinguished Humphrey Fellowship Program (DHFP) facilitates leadership development, multilateral collaboration, and cooperation on shared global challenges by providing executive level training in a topical area as well as strategic networking in the United States for international professionals, in or out of government, who are serving as leaders in advancing the public good, working on issues critical to U.S. engagement with the developing world, and are well-positioned to influence decision-making and policy within their professional focus areas in their countries.