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Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond, Indiana
47374-4095
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Davis UWC Scholars Program smiles on Earlham
Substantial gift supports Earlham’s international focus
May 13, 2008 —
A journey made possible…
They come to Richmond, Ind., from all over the world — international students seeking an institution that supports cultural diversity and provides an education for conscientious global citizens.
They come to Earlham College.
Now, even more international students can come to Earlham thanks to one of the largest gifts in the College’s 161-year history — $7 million dollars from the Davis United World College Scholars Program, with $3.5 million already received and $3.5 million anticipated over the next four years. This philanthropic organization, founded by Shelby M.C. Davis in 2001, promotes international understanding by providing opportunities for United World College (UWC) students to study in America.
And often, many of these UWC students choose to study at Earlham.
Earlham and the Davis Program: A likely combination
Earlham’s commitment to international students and an international curriculum was attractive to the Davis program. When Davis began the United World College Scholars Program seven years ago, he chose to benefit students of the United World Colleges, a valuable collection of 12 international schools founded to provide opportunities to students from 175 different countries. Davis pledged to provide scholarships for every UWC graduate accepted into chosen colleges with an outstanding reputation for internationalism.
In the 2004-05 academic year, Earlham College was added to the list, that currently consists of 89 institutions. The College’s inclusion on this list validates the College’s excellent international focus. Earlham is a major player in the Davis Program, ranking 8th out of the 89 institutions in the number of UWC scholars who choose to study here.
Earlham’s international program had already been a model for success in higher education, but since receiving the first Davis gift in 2004, the College has seen its international program grow and improve. Currently, 14 percent of Earlham students are from countries other than the United States, with over 60 different nations represented. In addition, the College received the 2006 Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: the Association of International Educators, in recognition for globalizing its community.
Many of the Davis scholars give Earlham praise also.
“I had no idea how good of a college Earlham was when I first heard of the school,” said 2008 graduate Ana Kamila Quijano, a Davis scholar from the Philippines. “I was very surprised at how excellent it is academically — and I became really excited when I found out that the faculty is exceptional. I am glad that the UWC prepared me well for the academic rigor here.”
Jawad Joya, a Davis scholar from Afghanistan, found Earlham’s international focus encouraging. “Earlham has shown a commitment to allocate a significant amount of its energy and resources to effectively engage with a world that is changing rapidly. International students and Davis Scholars serve as one of the main bloodstreams connecting Earlham to a globalizing world. That is crucial because what we need in the next century is to build stable bridges of understanding and cooperation between the American society and rest of the world.”
A momentous example of generosity
“This extraordinary gift supports the core of Earlham’s mission,” Earlham President Doug Bennett said. “We seek to provide a high quality, global education that encourages our students to look at the world in a comprehensive way. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to engage our undergraduate students personally with students who represent both international and cultural diversity. These Davis scholars bring that to Earlham.”
Davis scholar Kenneth Martin, a citizen of both Canada and the United States, sees this influence in his daily classroom experiences. “The international students who come here from the UWC schools are as much the teachers as the faculty, when it comes to helping domestic students understand what it is to be global citizens. There’s an understanding of the core principle of shared humanity.”
Through the Davis gift, Earlham can offer more competitive scholarship packages to international students like Quijano, Joya and Martin, and can enhance the College’s multi-cultural and multi-national atmosphere of learning.
“This gift provides a major impact all over campus,” said Musa Khalidi, director of international admissions. “The UWC students are so globally oriented. They come well-prepared academically and assist in the classroom; they provide a cultural diversity that is so important at Earlham and they give us such cultural wealth.”
The generosity by the Davis program is already having a dramatic, traceable effect on Earlham and its cultural diversity.
“Before the Davis support, Earlham was known only in certain places — Japan, the Middle East — but now we have 20 students from Africa, plenty of Latin-American students and some European students as well. It’s because of Davis,” Khalidi said. “Shelby Davis wants to impact the connection between the United States and the rest of the world, and to do that it takes an investment into those relationships. It takes someone like Davis to make this a possibility.”
Davis’ dream fulfilled
Earlham’s Davis scholars are living proof that Davis is accomplishing what he set out to do. Following graduation, Martin plans to secure a government job or work with groups such as Doctors Without Borders. Quijano strives to work in international economic development, particularly in the Philippines, her home country. Joya, also a 2008 graduate, wants to pursue an occupation in one of several areas, including economic development and foreign policy. Other Earlham Davis scholars tend to have similarly ambitious goals.
“We knew that if we could secure this Davis gift, it would mean a bright future for Earlham and the international students,” Khalidi said. “The foundation knew our mission and how committed we are. This gift gives Earlham College the tools it needs to accomplish that mission to further internationalize the campus.
“I see the faces and names and nationalities here and it puts a smile on my face — and it’s happened because of Davis’ philanthropy.”
