UCLA Leaders "Optimistic" About Return Of Islamic Studies

by Carol Scott · 2010-12-06 14:01:00 UTC
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UPDATE - A student movement for religious tolerance has scored a major victory: on April 8, 2011, UCLA's Islamic Studies program announced it will re-open in fall 2011. Read more here.

Great news for the students and faculty members who have been working to bring back the Islamic Studies program at UCLA: the suspension of the program could lift as early as January 2011, an Academic Senate member told Change.org late last week.

Students rallied Nov. 30 to bring back the program as faculty members met to discuss the future of the program. Although students and Islamic Studies faculty members had originally thought that a final vote would occur on that day, that vote won't happen until early 2011, said UCLA Professor Steven Nelson, who is chair of the Academic Senate's Graduate Council.

This news comes after University of California, Los Angeles undergrads took to the Internet this fall to spread the word about their campaign to save the program, which has been under an admissions freeze since 2008. Using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and their own website, uclaislamicstudies.com, students have reached out to community members, Muslim groups and interfaith allies to raise awareness of the program's freeze and the need to re-open it. A petition on Change.org has garnered nearly 5,000 signatures in support of saving and fully funding the graduate program.

As partisan pundits continue to exploit ignorance about Islam and draw imaginary lines between Muslim and non-Muslim Americans, the students calling for the program's return are asking UCLA to inject more education into the national discussion.

Prof. Nelson detailed the administrative steps remaining to bring the program back and said that if the program passes muster and the entire Graduate Council of the Academic Senate approves it with a vote as early as January, the program would be able to admit students starting as soon as Fall 2011. "We are all quite optimistic on the restarting of admissions to this program," he added.

GOT A TIP FOR US? Is there a story or campaign in your area that we'd want to know about? E-mail us at educationtips@change.org. Please also follow Change.org's Education page on Facebook and Twitter. Photo credit: Islamic Studies Campaign at UCLA

Carol Scott is the Education Editor for Change.org.

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