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Oct. 12, 2007
U of M gets ME chair
Philanthropist helps establish a Canadian first.
RHONDA SPIVAK
Billionaire Montreal philanthropist Stephen Jarislowsky has donated
$1 million to the University of Manitoba to create Canada's first
chair in Middle East and North African studies.
U of M has matched the $1 million and will also provide a faculty
salary and other supports. "The primary role of this chair
will be to teach courses, not just to conduct research," said
Dr. Richard Sigurdson, dean of the faculty of arts at the U of M.
"The chair in Middle East and North African studies came about
after a long bit of negotiation with Mr. Jarislowsky. He is quite
interested in issues relating to conflict and seeking ways to resolve
disputes. His interest is in looking for ways that academic work
and research can shed light onto areas of conflict and bring forward
a more peaceful world."
Sigurdson noted that the Middle East constitutes an area of crucial
historical and political importance, particularly in the aftermath
of 9/11. The chair will be an internationally renowned scholar in
the Middle East, whose mission will be to "build knowledge
and enhance understanding of the peoples, cultures, and societies"
in this conflict-ridden part of the world.
The primary purpose of the chair will be to create, disseminate
and promote research and scholarship of the region, "with the
aim of ensuring that knowledge can be generated as a means of transcending
narrow ethnic and religious-based conflicts."
As Sigurdson put it, "We feel that the modern history of the
Middle East and North Africa is something that the U of M could
become a leader in, and we could be able to generate more interdisciplinary
research. We have a very strong history department. We have people
who study the Middle East in the fields of political science and
sociology. We have the Centre for Globalization and Culture Studies
and the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. We feel that
a chair in the modern history of the Middle East could work together
with all of these others. We hope that with this new chair, we'll
be able to generate more interest in exchange programs for U of
M students and faculty to the Middle East region. We also hope we
will be able to attract more visiting faculty members from the United
States, Europe and Israel, as well."
The endowment of the Middle East chair will enable the U of M to
host numerous lectures, symposiums and conferences featuring university
faculty and other internationally renowned experts in the region.
Sigurdson noted that there are several places in the United States
that have chairs in the Middle East and said that he is hopeful
that the U of M will be able to forge a relationship with them.
Currently, Tami Jacoby, associate professor of the department of
political science, is the only faculty member at the university
who teaches a course dealing with the Middle East, focusing specifically
on the Arab-Israeli conflict. While the course wasn't taught this
year, it will be renewed next year.
Jacoby, who has lived in Israel for a period of time, is very pleased
about the creation of Canada's first chair in Middle East studies.
As she observed, "A stronger Middle East focus at the University
of Manitoba will provide students with a much- needed source of
information and outlet for discussion about this very important
region of the world that has been sorely lacking in the city."
Ben Baader, who teaches Jewish history at the U of M, is of the
view that the chair in Middle East studies is a very "positive
development." As Bader, who is an assistant professor in the
department of history, said, "It is a very respectable position,"
which presents a "wonderful opportunity" for the U of
M and Canada.
The Jarislowsky Foundation has previously endowed 15 chairs at Canadian
universities in a variety of subjects, including the sciences, and
the humanities. German-born Jarislowsky is a businessman and philanthropist
whose family was driven out of Nazi Germany in 1941 for harboring
Jews. In the 1950s, Jarislowsky started the investment management
firm of Jarislowsky, Fraser and Company Ltd., which, by 2005, was
managing assets of more than $54 billion.
An international search is under way to find a professor to fill
the chair, for a five-year term beginning as early as next July.
Rhonda Spivak is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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