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COURIER L 18 IFE, FEB. 28-MAR. 5, 2020
Study abroad!
Library partners with immigrant
academics to offer free courses
A professor gives an open-air lecture during the fi rst semester
of Brooklyn Public Library’s free lecture series.
Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library
BY COLIN MIXSON
An international
cadre of researchers and
academics are partnering
with Brooklyn Public Library
to offer more than
25 college-level courses
to curious Brooklynites
free of charge.
The instructors —
who hail from countries
including Pakistan, India,
Cameroon, Nepal,
Tunisia, and China, to
name a few — were regarded
as experts in
their chosen fi elds back
home, but due to professional
and bureaucratic
challenges, many were
forced to adopt new, often
more menial professions
upon migrating to the
United States, according
to the program’s chief organizer.
“It’s the usual New
York story, where you get
into a cab and it turns out
your driver is a philosopher
from Russia,” said
Jakab Orsós, vice president
of arts and culture at
Brooklyn Public Library,
whose team produces the
lecture series.
To take advantage of
the city’s wealth of untapped
expertise, the library
system created
University Open Air, a
lecture series that offers
migrant academics a competitive
wage in exchange
for brisk, one-hour lessons
that introduce students
to a wide variety of
compelling disciplines,
according to Orsós.
Among the many
courses on offer include
lectures on childhood development,
urban planning,
photography, futurism,
meditation, Chinese
tea ceremonies, and Tang
Dynasty poetry, along
with a very topical lesson
on the impact of the 2020
census.
University Open Air’s
current semester, which
kicked off on Feb. 24 and
continues through March
7, follows the program’s debut
last summer, when the
library system partnered
with the Prospect Park
Alliance to host three
weeks of outdoor classes
in Brooklyn’s Backyard,
which attracted hundreds
of students to lessons accompanied
by free coffee,
a mobile library, and even
live music.
The classes are brief
and introductory by nature,
but the professors
are liberal in handing
out their contact information
and will provide
a reading list for students
keen to continue their education,
Orsós said.
And while locals will
be attracted by the free
courses, Orsós — himself
an immigrant hailing
from Hungary — hopes
that students will also
come to better appreciate
the challenges faced
by even the most accomplished
migrants in their
quest for a better life.
“It’s reminder to our
community that here are
these amazing people,
some were professors
and some were professionals
before they decided
to move over here,
and reconstruct their careers,”
said Orsós. “It’s
not easy anywhere, but
it’s especially not easy in
the US.”
She has a name.
Her health plan actually knows it.
H2168_MKT20-17_M Accepted
* Premium, co-pays, coinsurance and deductibles may vary based on the
level of Extra Help you receive. Please contact plan for further details.
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