The Graduate Council will decide whether or not to suspend the
Islamic Studies program following a meeting today between the
council and members of the Islamic Studies Faculty Advisory
Committee.
The possible suspension of the Islamic Studies graduate program
spurred a public forum Wednesday discussing improvements and
adjustments to the interdepartmental program.
Present at the forum were both students and faculty members who
would be affected by the suspension of admission to the
program.
The Graduate Council has suspended admission in the past. In
fact, this year’s class is only the second new class in
several years.
The Council’s main issues with the Islamic Studies program
are the need for stronger leadership and a more active Faculty
Advisory Committee, and problems with the core classes, said
Professor Michael Morony, chair of the Islamic Studies
interdepartmental program. The council also cited the lack of a
sense of community among students and problems with funding.
The suspension would not directly affect the completion of the
program for current students. But Ayman Shabana, first-year
doctorate student of Islamic Studies, expressed his concern for the
stigma that may be attached to graduating from a program that is
suspended.
Morony agreed, saying, “There is a lot of anxiety and
concern … (a suspension) affects the reputation of the
program.”
Morony and others from the program organized the forum when the
Graduate Council told the committee that they needed to have a
comprehensive plan for future improvements.
“I thought it was a good idea, because everyone gets
alarmed and wants to do something,” Morony said.
The forum addressed the creation of a “backbone” to
the program ““ core classes that would focus on Islam as a
religion.
While those present at the forum debated the specifics of the
classes themselves, they generally agreed to the need for change.
Most wanted to hire an Islamist who could head the program.
If the council decides to suspend admission for next year, a
condition for reinstatement of the program is the hiring of a new
program head.
Funding was a source of general concern, with many blaming past
problems of the Islamic Studies program on their lack of money.
Adrienne Lavine, vice chairwoman of the Academic Senate, said
the role of the council, a committee under the Senate, is to find
the problems that need fixing.
“The Senate does not control the money,” Lavine
said. “When they make reviews, they direct it to either the
department or dean.”
The administration holds the ultimate authority for funding the
program.