Cal Poly Pomona will host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence from Morocco during the 2013-14 academic year as part of the university’s 75th anniversary celebration.
Professor Fatima Sadiqi, an expert in gender studies from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco, will be an integral part of the Weglyn lecture series titled “The World in Motion: Understanding the Interconnections between the Global and Local in the Shaping of our Contemporary World.” In addition, she will teach courses in the Ethnic and Women’s Studies Department on women’s issues in North Africa, participate in events in the College of Education & Integrative Studies and International Center, and finish writing a book about Moroccan feminist discourse.
This isn’t Sadiqi’s first encounter with Cal Poly Pomona: she participated in the International Center’s “Global Citizenship for the 21st Century” conference in 2009.
“I am thrilled at the idea of being part of your community,” Sadiqi says. “I believe in intercultural dialogue.”
Sadiqi earned her bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Mohammed V University in Morocco before gaining a master’s and doctorate in linguistics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
She is the founding director and honorary member of the Centre for Studies and Research on Women at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University. She is also the first woman to serve on the Scientific Committee and Faculty Council at the university. Sadiqi has served in many other academic, nongovernmental and international organizations, including the U.N. Council for Development Policy and the Isis Center for Women and Development.
The scholar-in-residence is a collaborative effort between CEIS, the International Center and other campus constituents to help increase the global awareness of the university.
“This is a huge honor for us,” says Dean Peggy Kelly. “During the 75th anniversary, CEIS is celebrating the past and present, but also looking into the future of our disciplines. We are privileged to have a well-known scholar such as Fatima Sadiqi join us in these critical conversations. Her research experience and perspective will be invaluable to our community.”
Sadiqi is one of about 800 foreign faculty and professionals who will come to the United States this year as part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program. The U.S. government sponsors the program, which is designed to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through an educational exchange. The program was established in 1946 through legislation authored by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas.
Fulbright alumni have achieved distinction in government, science, the arts, business, philanthropy, education and many other fields. Forty-four Fulbright alumni from 12 countries have been awarded the Nobel Prize, and 78 alumni have received Pulitzer Prizes. For more information about the Fulbright program, please visit https://eca.state.gov/fulbright
(Photo: Professor Fatima Sadiqi)