In Focus

The University declared its unyielding support for refugees at the NJCU Student Union in February. The event, Open Arms, Open Hearts, Open Doors, was spearheaded by past and current student leaders of the Muslim Student Association. The hundreds of attendees included students, faculty, administration, staff, local politicians, community leaders, NGO leaders, and many refugee families from the Jersey City area.

The highlight of the evening was the moving personal story from NJCU student and Syrian refugee Zaki Minas. Since the Student Union event, work has begun to create the NJCU Refugee Center, whereby the University will develop collaborations with partners in the community to serve those in need. Those interested in learning more about these efforts may contact Meriem Bendaoud, Assistant Professor of Biology (mbendaoud@njcu.edu).