UC Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Dear CMES community,
In the midst of these unsettling times, I write with news of another transition: my term as Chair of the CMES will be coming to an end on June 30th. How time flies! We have accomplished much together in the last six years, including the establishment of exciting new initiatives like the weekly MENA Salon, the semesterly Islamic Texts Circle, and the annual Distinguished Visitors Program. For students specifically, we now have a regular internship program with KPFA’s radio program Voices of the Middle East and North Africa as well as an undergraduate advisory board and several active URAPs (University Research Apprentice Program). The financial foundations of the Center have likewise been strengthened during my tenure, thanks to the renewal of our Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education (the largest received by any ME Center in the country), a significant grant from the Aspen Institute to fund global exchanges, and a very meaningful gift from the friends and family of UCB alumnus Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens to support student research in the region. Even the space itself has been revitalized. The CMES staff has worked hard to cultivate a vibrant and welcoming hub, newly featuring a library that houses the Ira Lapidus and John Hayes collections where the MENA librarian holds weekly office hours. And until recently, our walls were filled with rotating art exhibits of one kind or another. I could go on, but the main point is that none of this would have been possible without the support and contributions of our loyal community of MENA scholars and enthusiasts. Thank you for helping sustain this all-important locus for MES on campus.

The Associate Vice Chancellor for Research will soon be naming an acting chair who will serve for one year while a formal search will be conducted for a new chair. I myself will remain at the CMES on a part time basis to continue developing the MENA-J program and work on our edited series, “Worlding the Middle East.” I will also be teaching courses on the MENA in my home department of Global Studies.

It has been a highlight of my professional career to serve as Chair of the CMES and I am immensely grateful to all of you who joined me in this adventure. I hope we can all meet in 340 Stephens Hall again in person the future.

Sincerely,

Emily Gottreich, Ph.D.
Chair, CMES
Adjunct Professor, Global Studies and Department of History

Students:
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