Why has placing displaced students and scholars in universities outside Syria proven so difficult? An article in The Atlantic outlines what IIE President Allan E. Goodman refers to as a "witches brew of things we’re working against," including the unusually high expense per student, applicants with missing documents, and lack of existing mechanisms within governments and universities. Despite these challenges, the article lists several champions, including the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and IIE’s Syria Consortium. "Every time we get a [single] student [placed] here we think of it as a victory," said Goodman.