The Middle East Center at the University of Utah is currently undergoing a major revitalization. The center has faced several challenges over the past decade, including faculty retirements and a reduction in funding. But now, under the leadership of Chris Low, the center has hired several new staff members and expanded its programs. They intend to return the center to national prominence by 2030, Low told The Daily Utah Chronicle.
“We had a few uprisings around 2010,” Low said. “In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to rebuild and modernize the Middle East Center to restore it to national prominence.”
Low cited mismanagement of funding and the retirement of several professors as the reason for this “outbreak.”
Expansion of the faculty
Founded in the 1960s, the Middle East Center has a rich history at the University of Utah. Its creation was based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Title IV clause and is considered one of the first flagship programs of the National Resource Centers (NRC).
The Middle East Center coexists with two other centers within the College of Humanities: the Asia Center and the Center for Latin American Studies. Each of these centers offers a curriculum in both a major and a minor for students. However, there are no teaching staff at either center.
As part of the revitalization of the center, three new permanent faculty members and a postdoctoral fellow in Arabic studies were hired.
Low highlighted the expertise of these new staff members and their language skills, which include Arabic, Persian, Hebrew and Ottoman Turkish. The new staff members also bring research experience from institutions such as Princeton, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania.
“We feel we have stocked up on talent, and what we will see in the next few years is an increase in national and international importance and productivity,” Low said.
outlook
The center has drawn up a five-year plan to promote its revitalization. Part of the plan includes a goal of applying for NRC funding by 2030. This would enhance the center’s ability to offer a wider range of languages and further develop its programming. Currently, the center offers programs for Arabic and Persian, but it hopes to add Hebrew and Turkish programs as well.
The center also plays a critical role in fostering scholarly discussions on campus, particularly on complex Middle East issues. In light of recent protests and political tensions on the university and other college campuses, Low stressed the importance of providing students with a “sober, scholarly environment” in which to explore these issues.
“Our value is that we can confront people with these concerns and conflict lines in an intellectually honest and dignified way,” Low said. “We try to provide a reasonable, scientific view of what is happening, not a heated view that comes from an ethnic, religious or political perspective.”
In the future, the center plans a series of events that address both current and historical issues in the Middle East, including a discussion on Iran-Israel relations and lectures on the Mongols, Iraq, and the environmental history of the Middle East.
Low expressed optimism about the future of the center, pointing out that the investments made in recent years are already showing initial results in terms of student engagement and national recognition.
“We are just getting started and building momentum,” Low said.
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