[1] The Institute of International Education has helped rescue threatened scholars since its inception in 1919,[2] demonstrating a commitment to protecting academic freedom.
[3] In the 1930s, IIE was instrumental in founding the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars, led by Edward R. Murrow.
[5] Other major activities undertaken throughout the Institute's history, before the formal establishment of IIE-SRF in 2002, include: The Russian Student Fund (1920-1949), Rescue of Scholars from Fascist Italy (1922-1924), Rescue of Scholars from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Committee on Awards for Chinese Students (1942-1945), Emergency Program to Aid Hungarian University Students (in cooperation with World University Service) (1956-1958), The South African Education Program (1979-1992), Rescue of Burmese Refugees (1990-1992), and Emergency Higher Education Load Programs (HELP) (1998-2000).
[5] IIE-SRF was founded and endowed in 2002,[2] when IIE's trustees committed to making scholar rescue a permanent part of its work.
By the Project's completion in September 2014, over 280 Iraqi scholars had received fellowships to help them resume their teaching and research activities in safe countries.
This support includes temporary academic positions, professional development and career advancement opportunities, and other critical assistance.
[14] In recent years, IIE launched several other crisis response programs and initiatives to meet the needs of students, scholars, and artists facing threats and emergencies.