After a two year struggle, Bolivian historian Waskar Ari finally gained a visa to teach at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. The history department at Nebraska led a vigorous effort to win the visa, even filing a lawsuit against the federal government on his behalf last March.

The department hired Ari in 2005, shortly after he earned his PhD from Georgetown University, but the Department of Homeland Security, which administers such visa applications, held up the application without explanation. The AHA actively supported Ari’s efforts, but the department at UNL merits special praise for their active and enthusiastic support for a future colleague.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.