The UC Davis Humphrey Fellowship Program hosted a climate change communications workshop for Humphrey fellows as UC Davis welcomed 30 Humphrey fellows representing 27 countries from 11 Humphrey host campuses throughout the United States, positioning them to lead compelling conversations about this important topic in their workplaces and home communities around the world.

UC Davis celebrates a milestone as it welcomes its 300th Humphrey Fellow, part of its 30th cohort of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program. The prestigious program brings accomplished mid-career professionals from countries around the world to universities throughout the United States. Twelve fellows from across the globe are spending the 2021-22 academic year in Davis strengthening their professional skills, improving their leadership abilities, and engaging in meaningful collaboration and virtual connections across campus.

Despite not being able to host an in-person cohort this year due to COVID-19 concerns, UC Davis has remained committed to serving as Humphrey Fellowship Program partners, working in multi-campus collaboration to enrich the experiences of Humphrey Fellows in in-person programs at other universities around the U.S. UC Davis has hosted virtual workshops, seminars, and various enhancement opportunities, including the recent workshop Succeeding as a Leader in a World of Change and Opportunity. 

Building on the U.S. Department of State’s strategic goals to assist Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows in developing and refining tangible career skills, five host universities of the Humphrey Fellowship Program have joined together to provide a comprehensive Multi-Campus Seminar Series.

We regret to inform you that unfortunately, we are unable to host the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in the 2020-21 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to comply with local county and state regulations as well as UC Davis guidelines, all international programs involving visitors from abroad are postponed. The health and wellbeing of our fellows, members of our campus, and local community is our top priority.

When the Yolo Food Bank began running a new delivery service to meet the increased need for food in Davis and its surrounding communities in Yolo County during the COVID-19 pandemic, UC Davis delivered volunteers, including staff members, undergraduate students, and visiting Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Issam Chariag of Tunisia, Fabrice Inkonkoy of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zuomei Ning of China.

While 2020 has been an unprecedented year, the 2019-2020 cohort of UC Davis Humphrey Fellows persisted in accomplishing their goals of professional development and cultural exchange. Throughout January, February, and some of March, the fellows were still able to maintain their usual schedule of site visits and professional experiences. Once shelter-in-place orders were issued by local counties and states, and travel was restricted, the program quickly adapted to carry out the rest of their professional development courses virtually while doing all they could to still serve the Davis community.

As county residents continue to shelter in place, the Yolo Food Bank is running a new delivery service with the help of UC Davis staff members, students, and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows.

I hope you will join me in congratulating our 2019-20 Humphrey Fellows: Nazmul Ahsan, Jihad Atallah, Issam Chariag, Fabrice Inkonkoy, Vindyani Jayasinghe, Ojja Martin Kapaya, Alain-Georges Moukoko, Zuomei Ning, Rommel Reconco, Karina Vergara, and Thu Vo. Being selected for this prestigious fellowship is an honor in itself. The collaborations these 11 truly remarkable international leaders have formed and the projects they have started over this academic year are even more impressive.