Dear Friends of the IIR,
Spring is a time for new beginnings, and great new things are happening at the IIR!
First, you will notice a new IIR Newsletter format—but that’s just the start.
Last year we said goodbye to Dr. Michele Waslin, who left the IIR to take the position of Assistant Director at the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota. This year we welcome Michelle (two lls) Dromgold-Sermen as the IIR’s new Assistant Director. Michelle is wrapping up her doctoral work in sociology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has hit the ground running. Michelle’s work is described below. In keeping with the theme of spring, it is great to have a fresh pair of eyes and new energy in the IIR office suite. Learn more about Michelle in this Newsletter’s IIR Team Spotlight section, where we also showcase the work of IIR Faculty Affiliate and Associate Professor of Social Work, Dr. Carol Cleaveland.
In the final quarter of 2022, the IIR was awarded a new grant sponsored by AmeriCorps for what is designed to be a three-year project on immigrant athletes and civic engagement. This is aligned with our Immigrants, Athletes, and Inclusion initiative, which explores the extent to which highlighting the visibility and influence of foreign-born athletes may lead to a greater spirit of inclusiveness and equality for all New Americans. The AmeriCorps project includes surveys in seven metropolitan areas across the country, followed by efforts to work with professional and collegiate sports teams in those areas to showcase foreign athletes and their contributions on the field and in the community, where they often act as agents of change.
Sticking to new developments, in this Newsletter you will learn about the work of Dr. Blake Silver, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Mason. We are thrilled that Blake has recently joined our roster of IIR Faculty Affiliates. In addition to the ACPA funding described below, Blake and IIR Faculty Affiliate, Dr. Dae Young Kim, have just received a grant through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Research and Development Award program. Both of these projects look at higher education and immigrant families.
In the past few months, as detailed below, the IIR has also released a series of new Immigration Data on Demand (iDod) factsheets and New Immigrant Stories, which use data and interviews with immigrants from Ghana, the Philippines, and Tanzania who work at George Mason University to illustrate the important role played by the foreign born in U.S. higher education.
Also, don’t miss the summary of our trip to see the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s presentation of The Jungle, a provocative and informative look at the refugee experience.
Relying on data and interviews, the analysis of sports, and the arts are all ways the IIR seeks to understand the experiences of immigrants and refugees and capture their contributions to the country they now call home.
Your support of our efforts and suggestions on how to expand those efforts are always appreciated.
Best regards,
James C. Witte