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Serving the needs of the "city that never sleeps" can be very demanding. No wonder, then, that a number of New York's young leaders are only too happy to spend a year attending courses at Columbia for a change.
They are the Revson Fellows, who receive financial support and tuition benefits for nine months of study tailored to their particular career interests, along with academic guidance and access to University libraries and resources.
Established 27 years ago with funding from the Charles H. Revson Foundation and the Open Society Institute, the program awards ten fellowships per year to a wide range of mid-career civic leaders.
In addition to their independent study, the fellows attend weekly dinner seminars to present their work or exchange ideas with local and national leaders in public, corporate, nonprofit and civic life.
"The Revson Fellowship exemplifies the best traditions of philanthropy, education and commitment to the civic needs of New York City," said the program's newly appointed director, Sudhir Venkatesh, associate professor of sociology at Columbia and an expert on American cities.
"Beginning this year," he noted, "the program will be housed at the Institute for Social and Economic Policy Research, expanding the Fellows' opportunities to engage in ongoing ISERP projects that address the challenges facing urban communities."
To take a close-up look at the Revson Fellowship experience, we talked to three participants in this year's cohort. Highlights from our conversations follow.
For the full list of this year's participants and more information, go to http://www.columbia.edu/cu/revson/.
Deyanira F. Del Río directs programs for the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), a resource and advocacy center that works with community groups to promote financial justice in New York City's low-income neighborhoods.
Recently, Del Río launched the NYC Immigrant Financial Justice Project to address barriers faced by undocumented immigrants -- especially in the city's banking and credit systems.
She has spoken out against financial injustice in the local and national media and is now cohosting On the Money, with NEDAP on local public access television.
Deyanira F. Del Río: "I'm really enjoying the experience of being a Revson Fellow, particularly the weekly meetings where we all come together and talk about our work, and challenge each other's approaches to social justice activism in New York City.
"Returning to school after working for several years has been challenging. I really appreciate that the Revson program gives us the flexibility to design our own course of study. Rather than pursue a degree, I am taking courses in different departments and working with faculty in my areas of interest, to bolster my economic justice work in the city.
"Recently, I went to Mexico City as part of my coursework for a class on sustainable development. I was able to witness firsthand the changes taking place in this megacity, and to meet with people in government, academia and the private sector who are attempting to manage the social and environmental issues we have been learning about in class. I was particularly interested in the initiatives that Mexico City residents are taking to address issues of immigration, financial services and community development.
"This semester I'll continue this line of research by taking a class on remittances and development.
"I would urge the University to offer more opportunities for faculty and students to connect with social justice organizations in NYC. The groups I work with, for example, have only recently made contact with Columbia faculty and centers working on similar issues-- something I was able to facilitate through this fellowship."
Barbara Taveras directs projects for the Coalition for New Philanthropy, a multiyear initiative aimed at promoting and supporting philanthropic initiatives for New York City's African American, Asian American and Latino communities. Prior to this, she served as the president of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation in New York, which targets grassroots and community-based organizations working on public education and youth development.
Born in the Dominican Republic, Taveras has had extensive experience in international development, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean where she worked for over eight years funding community development projects. She is cofounder of the Dominican Community Bridge Fund, a project that aims to foster the socioeconomic progress of Dominicans in the United States and the Dominican Republic.
Barbara Taveras: "Being a Revson Fellow has been very different from what I'd expected. I viewed the fellowship year as a sabbatical after working in philanthropy for 18 years. Taking courses at Columbia was a bonus -- I was hoping to put what I learned to use in developing the Dominican Community Bridge Fund, a personal project I had started in the fall of 2004.
"In fact, doing courses at Columbia has been very intense, leaving little time for rest and contemplation.
"In my marketing class, for instance, we were covering so much material that was useful for my work that I quickly abandoned the idea of 'auditing' the course and immersed myself in the class work instead. Likewise, the Tuesday evening fellows' dinners have challenged me to see my projects in more of a critical light.
"My most memorable experience thus far was sitting in Sudhir Venkatesh's sociology class listening to a presentation by Majora Carter, a 2005 MacArthur Fellow and the founder of Sustainable South Bronx. As someone who has lived in the South Bronx for 35 years, and has heard so many disparaging comments and news reports about our community, I found her words very moving.
"I like to believe that when the fellowship year ends, it does not mean leaving the University entirely. One long-term benefit of being a Revson Fellow is that we can continue having access to some of the University's resources, such as its fabulous libraries. Likewise, I hope that my relationships with professors and colleagues will continue after the year is over.
"One suggestion I would make to Columbia is to try to increase the number of opportunities for students to be exposed to the world outside the University's walls -- and the education that can come from interacting with the city's grassroots leaders."
Fekkak Mamdouh emigrated to the United States from Morocco in 1988 at the age of 27. Although he arrived with a physics degree, he ended up working as a busboy and waiter for several years, moving to Windows on the World when it reopened in 1996.
After the events of 9/11/01, Mamdouh worked to set up a temporary relief service for his fellow displaced immigrant workers and for the families of the 73 Windows staff who lost their lives in the tragedy.
Three years ago, he cofounded the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY). The group has already won six campaigns against abusive restaurant owners totaling more than $300,000 in back wages and discrimination payments for workers. It recently published a comprehensive report on the inequalities that pervade New York City's restaurant industry.
Fekkak Mamdouh: "During my first semester at Columbia, I took an extraordinary course on the history of New York with historian Ken Jackson. The materials were very rich, teaching me all that New York has been through since the arrival of the European invaders, especially the transformative effect of immigrant groups on the city's development.
"One of my main reasons for taking this class was to see whether the immigrants that came from Europe at the turn of the century were treated in the same way as immigrants who've arrived in the past 20 years from poor countries in Africa, South America and the Middle East. I wanted to know if the difficulties we have in getting work permits and green cards applied to them as well.
"I was surprised to see that students from other parts of the country knew more than I did about this great city, which I love from the bottom of my heart -- even though I've lived in New York for more than 18 years.
"I've been feeling a little isolated in class as an older student, but I'm surviving it.
"My other course last term was on American urban politics, but that was relatively easy, as I've been directly involved with New York City politics for the last four years.
"I feel very lucky to have gotten a place on this program. While making calls to invite past Revson Fellows to our events, I noticed that most of them are now in powerful decision-making positions in the city -- an inspiration to us all." |
