Challenge will support Emerson students studying abroad

The Let’s Go Fund will help Emerson students participate in study abroad programs, including at Kasteel Well in the Netherlands.

Recognizing a growing need to enable students of limited means to participate in Emerson’s expanding study abroad programs, Trustee Judy Huret, MA ’69, and her husband, Bob, have pledged a $100,000 challenge gift as the inaugural funding for the College’s new Let’s Go Fund.

The Huret challenge has raised an additional $108,750 to date, principally through gifts from Trustees, Overseers, and friends of the College. The College is hoping to raise at least an additional $50,000 before June 30, 2016, so that the total gift will exceed $250,000.

Funds raised during this challenge will provide initial seed money for the Let’s Go Fund, an endowed fund that will provide monetary awards to students with demonstrated financial need to participate in Emerson’s Global Pathways Program and other study abroad initiatives. 

The Hurets believe that every Emerson student, regardless of financial circumstances, should have access to the College’s study abroad opportunities.

“Experiencing other cultures is transformative and enlightening,” said Judy Huret. “In our global society, promoting understanding among all people is critical. Every Emerson student should be able to have an international experience while at the College, but many can’t afford it without help.”

“Being civic minded and a fully engaged person today requires the ability to have a global perspective and to thrive in an increasingly diverse work culture,” said President Lee Pelton. “That is why we have placed such great emphasis on new programs and initiatives to remove the barriers for Emerson students and faculty to work and study internationally. We are enormously grateful to Judy and Bob for their extraordinary leadership in establishing the Let’s Go Fund,” Pelton said.

Overseer Jan Greenhawt ’69 and her husband, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jeff Greenhawt ’68, were among the first to answer the challenge by making a gift of their own, as have more than a dozen other members of the College’s governing boards.

“You do not need to have the capacity to make a very large gift to participate in this wonderful challenge,” said Jan Greenhawt. “If you could find a way to make even a $50 or $100 gift to this fund, it would really add up, and be a tremendous benefit to our deserving Emerson students,” she said.

The Hurets continue to be generous supporters of Emerson College. Each year, up to two Emerson faculty members are selected to receive the Huret Faculty Excellence Award that provides selected associate professors with a paid semester leave to do research or creative work in preparation for promotion. The Hurets have also funded the Huret & Spector Gallery, which hosts exhibitions and displays the Huret/Spector papers, and is located in the Tufte Performance and Production Center.

All contributions to the Let’s Go Fund must be received by Emerson College on or before June 30, 2016, to qualify for the Huret challenge.

“This is not the Hurets’ Let’s Go Fund: this is the Emerson community’s Let’s Go Fund to help students pursue their desire to experience the world,” Judy Huret said.

To contribute to the Let’s Go Fund, visit the Emerson giving website.