Kokomo Perspective
Friday, October 18, 2013
Yusuf Nur demonstrates what his Indiana University Kokomo
students can do with a business degree, using his expertise to rebuild
his homeland. Nur, assistant professor of international business,
travels home to Somalia during his summer and winter breaks to teach
business management principles to its leaders.
Andrew W Jones |
Recently, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud invited him to
lead a session on resource sharing at a five-day conference about issues
that country faces as it rebuilds from years of civil war.
Nur said in the past, this kind of conference
would have been held outside of Somalia, and likely sponsored by a
non-government agency, so just being able to host it was a big step
forward.
“This is the first time the Somali government has
had the initiative and the money to put something like this together in
Mogadishu,” he said. “This is something most countries take for
granted, but it is a sign of progress for Somalia.”
At IU Kokomo, Nur said when many of his students
hear about Somalia, they think only of pirates. He educates them to read
further, to see what else is happening.
“There has been huge progress since 2006,” he said. “There are a lot of positive things happening.”
Nur left Somalia, which is in the Horn of Africa,
28 years ago, to earn a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
degree, using a World Bank scholarship. He then earned a Ph.D. from IU.
Civil war broke out shortly after he left, and it was more than 20 years
before he could safely return home.
The first trip back was shocking.
“Civil war destroyed the country,” he said. “When
I left, it was so peaceful. Mogadishu was a beautiful coastal town. We
used to play soccer on the beach. It’s horrible what happened to the
country. I convinced myself I could make a difference with the knowledge
I gained in the United States.”
He said it is critical for people like himself,
who were educated outside Somalia, to come back and help their homeland
recover from the war.
“The civil war caused a huge brain drain,” Nur
said. “Anyone with experience and education left the country. They don’t
have the education to do anything. Their business leaders don’t have
the theoretical background we have here.”
During his visits each year, Nur consults with
businesses, educating executives on how to run a business strategically —
which is also what he teaches at IU Kokomo. He has also consulted with
the United Nations on developing policy for the country, and sometimes
teaches classes at a college founded by the president. Nur said despite
everything that has happened in his country since he left it, he still
feels at home there.
“I lived in Somalia for 20 years, and I’ve lived
in the United States 28 years, but when I get there, I feel at peace,”
he said. “Even though the country was destroyed, I feel tranquil there.”