President Frederick W. Clark Jr. told two dozen Mandela fellows at a dinner in their honor held Wednesday night that here in Massachusetts they were “in the cradle of liberty.”
“This institution was founded by some of America’s greatest leaders and thinkers,” the president continued. “They said, ‘education is the great equalizer, the balance wheel of the social machinery.’ We can’t have liberty without education. Education creates opportunities in this region, and in this country, and around the world.”
Education is what the fellows are here for. They hail from across Sub-Saharan Africa and represent the brightest emerging public management leaders from the continent. They are here for a six-week academic and leadership institute as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The goal of the program is to empower young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities and support for activities in their communities.
They are completing their first week of coursework, which also included trips around the region.
“The fellows are wonderful,” said Dr. Karim Ismaili, special adviser to the president for university priorities and global engagement. Turning to the fellows, he told them, “This is really a collaborative experience – we will learn so much from you.”
Mandela fellows hosted by Bridgewater are part of a larger group of 1,000 hosted at 41 institutions across the United States this summer. These emerging leaders will meet with President Obama at a town hall during the Presidential Summit in Washington, D.C., at the conclusion of the institutes.
The Public Management Institute at Bridgewater, under the direction of Dr. Michael Kryzanek, professor emeritus of the Department of Political Science, is tailored to fellows who work, or aspire to work, in all levels of government, regional or international organizations, or other publicly minded groups and think tanks.
The six-week program will include trips to Boston for a celebration of the life and work of Nelson Mandela, a baseball game, museums, food pantries, homeless shelters and various departments within local governments. High-profile speakers will be addressing the visitors, possibly including a sitting U.S. senator or two.
Also on hand for the welcome dinner was Jose Maria Neves, former prime minister of Cape Verde. He told the fellows that, “The greatest challenge for African leaders is the need for visionary leadership capable of transforming Africa.”
President Clark underlined the welcome he extended to the fellows as he concluded his remarks, reminding them, “We want you to feel that you are part of the Bridgewater State University family. You are a part of our Bridgewater family. Welcome to Bridgewater, brothers and sisters.” (Story by John Winters, G’11, University News & Media; and Eva T. Gaffney, G’01, Marketing and Communications)
