Alumni Gift Enhances Cross-Disciplinary Middle East Studies
New fund to support student and faculty enhancements and a greater understanding of the Middle East
by Tony Moore
Thanks to a generous anonymous gift, Dickinson is excited to announce the establishment of the Middle East Programmatic Enhancement Fund. This transformative gift will provide budget-enhancing support for interdisciplinary study and teaching related to the Middle East, fostering a deeper understanding of the region's history, cultures and contemporary issues.
“It opens many possibilities and avenues for our Middle East studies, Arabic and Hebrew students, as well as students in all disciplines and divisions,” says Senior Lecturer in Middle East Studies Magda Siekert, seeing the fund as an opportunity to bring speakers from across the region to share their expertise and lived experience with students. “We will also be able to support student research activities off campus as well as cultural activities on-site.”
For David Commins, professor of history and Benjamin Rush Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, the fund’s influence within the classroom will be enhanced by its potential to make an impact beyond campus.
"This generous gift will make it possible for the Middle East studies program to broaden the scope of events for the campus,” he says, “and it will cement the program's place as a significant resource for deepening understanding of the region in the Carlisle area."
The fund will support the development of new courses, instructional support, student field research and student-faculty research, while also providing grants for students to study in Arabic-speaking countries. With this support, Dickinson will be able to further diversify the curriculum, enabling students to understand the Middle East from various perspectives.
"What is especially meaningful about this gift is the donor's explicit intention that Judaic studies be included in the campus conversations around Middle East studies,” says Professor of Religion and Sophia Ava Asbell Chair in Judaic Studies Andrea Lieber, noting the college's ongoing commitment to exploring the intersection of Jewish experience with the history and cultures of the Middle East. “This is not a small thing, and it reflects our unique culture at Dickinson."
And by encouraging collegewide interdisciplinary initiatives concerning the Middle East, the fund will help foster a fuller understanding of this important region.
“The Middle East is often studied from a narrow orientalist view that focuses on war, violence and politics,” says Mireille Rebeiz, associate professor of French and women's, gender & sexuality studies, who will use the fund to help her show the Middle East from all its different angles. "I’m proud to say that through this fund, Dickinson and our Middle East studies program will be able to play a role in educating the public, combatting hate and servicing others.”
That’s exactly what the donor intended with the gift. And he’s confident that Dickinson is the place to achieve that goal.
“My wife and I were fortunate to live in Egypt and Yemen for six years, and friends and family always asked if we felt safe and welcome,” he says. “The answer was yes, of course, but the concerns reflect the fact that what one reads about the Middle East has to do with fighting and violence and not so much about the peoples and cultures. With its commitment to interdisciplinary learning and close faculty student interaction, Dickinson is able to provide a complete and nuanced understanding of the region, and we are pleased to be able to support that.”
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Published January 2, 2025