Press Release

The Humpty Dumpty Institute

THE HUMPTY DUMPTY INSTITUTE LAUNCHES A NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAM AIMED AT UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

For Immediate Release

August 8th, 2011

New York City, NY, --The Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI) is pleased to announce its newest program -- the Higher Education Alliance. This program provides academic institutions across the United States with an in-depth introduction to the United Nations and builds bridges between the U.N. and large numbers of university and college students across America.

Ralph L. Cwerman, the President of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, said that “We established this program as a response to the need of universities and colleges across the country to develop a more global perspective on their campuses.  Through HDI’s Higher Education Alliance, participating students and faculty have the opportunity to study and interact in a very specific and focused manner with the United Nations, arguably the most potent symbol of globalism in the world today.”

Currently, 18 universities and colleges in nine states with a combined student enrollment of approximately 300,000 students belong to HDI’s Higher Education Alliance.  As part of this program, the Humpty Dumpty Institute organizes speakers from the United Nations, various Specialized Agencies, and Non-Governmental Organizations affiliated with the U.N. to speak at the campuses of Alliance members and to meet with students and faculty.  (For a list of Higher Education Alliance Members please visit our website at www.thehdi.org.)  Alliance members also convene U.N.-related conferences at their campuses and are invited to U.N. Headquarters in New York for intensive orientations to learn how the U.N. actually works.  And finally, select students at Alliance Universities/Colleges have the opportunity to serve as interns in international organizations around the world.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute is making a special effort to recruit institutions that belong to the Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) network, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) as well as community colleges nationwide.  William J. Rouhana, Jr., Chairman of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, said “these centers of higher education are often underserved when it comes to global and international exposure.  We are making a special effort to give these students in particular the opportunity to connect with the United Nations and to gain a better perspective about the global marketplace.  We look forward to reaching out to more HBCUs and HACU schools in the future.”

Everett J. Freeman, President of Albany State University (ASU), a Historically Black University in Albany, Georgia, and the first University to join the Higher Education Alliance, added that “ASU is thrilled to be part of HDI’s Higher Education Alliance for the United Nations.  Our students need this kind of global exposure and the U.N. lecturers that have joined us on campus have been splendid.  We are eager to continue the program in the fall”.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute is widely recognized as one of the premier non-governmental organizations in the country working with the United Nations.  Humpty Dumpty is particularly well known for designing specific outreach programs between the United Nations and select constituencies across the country.  This new bridge between the U.N. and the academic community fills the need of many schools to become more global.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

The Humpty Dumpty Institute is a unique non-profit organization serving people in the developing world through the implementation of large-scale humanitarian projects and through our work with the United Nations. Over the past four years, we have implemented significant development projects in Angola, Mozambique, Eritrea, Lebanon, Armenia, Laos, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. These projects are sponsored by individuals, foundations and governments.  In addition, we foster dialogue between the United Nations and a variety of constituencies in the United States including the U.S. Congress, universities, and the creative community; all designed to help the U.N. become an even more effective Institution. To learn more about our programs, please visit our website at www.thehdi.org.  For more detailed information on The Higher Education Alliance, please contact Michele Lee Clarke-Ceres, HDI Program Director, at 212-944-7111 or by email at michele.clarkeceres@thehdi.org.