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<p class="MsoNormal">Done!<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Middleeaststudiesforum <middleeaststudiesforum-bounces+hurtubise.1=osu.edu@lists.osu.edu>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>McClimans, Melinda via Middleeaststudiesforum<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, September 22, 2026 9:00 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> MES Forum Middle East Studies Center <middleeaststudiesforum@lists.osu.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [MES Forum] Support Our Students<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Dear Middle East Studies colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">I’m writing to ask for your support for the Middle East Studies Center’s current fundraising campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">As members of the Middle East Studies community at Ohio State, you know how important it is to engage students and make them aware of the opportunities to learn about the Middle East here. Help us create engaging
arts-focused events that will increase enrollments. Performances, expert artist demonstrations, and academics doing fieldwork in the region have the power to draw crowds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Please invest in these unique opportunities to learn about the Middle East. Such events are essential for making our work visible to students and to the public to help us sustain language learning, area studies
expertise, student support, public programming, and community-engaged work. MESC helps create the intellectual and institutional home for this work across departments, disciplines, and professional pathways.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">This year, student engagement is especially urgent as federal funding for area studies and language education has become less predictable. We will build on the sustained interest in the
<a href="https://mesc.osu.edu/community/students/courses-info" title="https://mesc.osu.edu/community/students/courses-info">
courses we offer</a>. Let's work together to engage students and make sure they are informed of the opportunities to learn directly from our faculty and their work. We can preserve and stregnthen existing opportunities for students to continue developing the
language skills, cultural knowledge, and regional expertise that make Middle East studies meaningful and necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">If you are able, please consider making a gift to support MESC students and programming:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://buckeyefunder.osu.edu/project/49297" title="https://buckeyefunder.osu.edu/project/49297"><b>buckeyefunder.osu.edu/project/49297</b></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">A gift of <b><i>any</i></b> size helps. Even a modest contribution shows that the OSU Middle East Studies community is invested in our students and committed to sustaining this field.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">If giving is not possible right now, sharing the campaign with others who care about international education, language learning, public humanities, or Middle East studies would also be deeply helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Thank you for supporting our students and the broader Middle East Studies community at Ohio State.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Best wishes,<br>
Melinda<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#BB0000;background:white">Melinda McClimans, PhD</span></b></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white">Assistant Director</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white">The Ohio State University</span></b></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#BB0000;background:white">International Affairs</span></span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white"> Middle
East Studies Center</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white">145 Enarson Classroom Building, 2009 Millikin Rd, Columbus Ohio 43210</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white">614-292-6506 Office / 614-292-5897 Office</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><br>
</span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><a href="mailto:mcclimans.2@osu.edu" target="_blank">mcclimans.2@osu.edu</a></span></span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333;background:white"> </span></span><span class="spanwithbackgroundcolor"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><a href="http://mesc.osu.edu/" target="_blank">mesc.osu.edu</a></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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