Week 2 of the 'Shansi Forward' Campaign - A Note from Our Visiting Scholar

Happy Giving Tuesday! And welcome to the second week of the 'Shansi Forward' Campaign.

This week, we are celebrating our Visiting Scholars Program, which allows staff and faculty from our partner institutions in Asia to come to Oberlin to conduct research, observe undergraduate teaching, attend academic conferences, and build professional networks. Dalila Yunardi, one of our current Visiting Scholars from Syiah Kuala University is kicking off our celebration. Read her message below:

"Dear Friends of Oberlin Shansi,

My name is Dalila Husna Yunardi, and I am a Junior Lecturer in the Department of Informatics at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. This semester, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as an Oberlin Shansi Visiting Scholar. Through this generous program, I’ve been able to come to Oberlin, audit classes, attend a conference in New Orleans, and lay the groundwork for a potential Ph.D. research project.

When I told friends and family that I was going to Oberlin for the Fall semester, some asked if I was going to Berlin, Germany. I had to explain that there is an ‘O’ in front of Berlin and that I’d be going to a small but prestigious college in Ohio in the United States.

Though some people were unfamiliar with the Visiting Scholar position I had accepted, my colleagues understood the gravity of this opportunity. The name Oberlin Shansi is renowned at my home university. It represents an opportunity for young faculty to get a glimpse of life and education abroad. It allows us to return to Indonesia with new perspectives on teaching and research. It also gives us the chance to build scholarly networks and to develop concrete skills (like writing emails for large audiences).

When I accepted this opportunity, I had a good idea of what Oberlin Shansi meant to Syiah Kuala University. Now that I’ve been here for nearly three months, I have learned that the Visiting Scholars program has made a big impact on other faculty from other universities. I hear so many stories of people who’ve come from India, China, and Japan, who, like me, sought a global perspective. While Shansi discusses its path forward in this fundraising campaign and in its day-to-day operations, I can’t help but be drawn to its past.

As the “Shansi Forward” campaign moves on to its second week, I’m pleased to include this video produced by Shansi staff, which highlights the impact of the Visiting Scholar Program at Lady Doak College, an all women’s institute in Southern India. The professors at Lady Doak discuss how the Shansi Visiting Scholar program gave them confidence. I relate to what they are saying, even though I have never met these amazing women.

Through your generosity, I hope to see the Shansi Visiting Scholar program continue to flourish and many more Shansi partners would benefit greatly from this program. Sometimes the best path “forward” is to continue what you do well. If you are able to provide a gift to Shansi this year, please visit https://www.shansi.org/annual-giving to give online or find instructions for mailing.

I’d like to thank you for your consideration and support.

Sincerely,

Dalila Husna Yunardi

Oberlin Shansi Visiting Scholar, Fall 2019

P.S. Be sure to follow me on Shansi's Instagram account this week!"