AIC Welcomes New Dean of Divinity | Matching $ Donation Drive
AIC BULLETIN
AND
DIRECTOR OF THE HASSAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERFAITH ENCOUNTER
Dr. Homayra Ziad is a spiritual seeker, scholar-activist and nationally recognized interfaith practitioner, and she has served in spiritual care and leadership roles in both Muslim and interreligious settings. Earning her doctorate in Religious Studies from Yale, with a special interest in Islamic spirituality, philosophical Sufism, and Indo-Persian textual traditions, Dr. Ziad has served universities, seminaries, and faith-based nonprofits with her community-engaged teaching and scholarship grounded in equitable, compassionate relationship-building. She was Senior Lecturer and Director of the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University where she received the undergraduate teachingaward, and was recognized for her innovativeteachingandmentorship. Before this, she was Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Trinity College and then Scholar of Islam at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, where she spearheaded public engagement on Islam.
For two decades, Dr. Ziad has created educational and spiritual care programs that connect religion with the arts, public health, and mental health, and she has supported educators, activists, artists, and religious leaders in navigating pluralism and fostering networks of social change. While at Hopkins, she led a national facultyfellowshipon community-engaged learning in Islamic Studies, partnered with American Muslim Health Professionals to mobilize students to address vaccine hesitancy and access in Muslim communities, and co-createdArt, Religion and Citieswith colleagues at Morgan State University and the Walters Art Museum. She also served on the founding teams of99 Clay Vessels, an arts and social justice project by and for Muslim women, andHealing Khayal, a music and healing residency for young artists in Pakistan. Dr. Ziad was on the Board of the ACLU of Maryland and served for two years as Board President.
Dr. Ziad was founding co-chair of the American Academy of Religion’s (AAR) Interreligious and Interfaith Studies Group. She writes for academic and popular venues, consults on programs for film and media, and is co-editor of Words to Live By: Sacred Sources for Interreligious Engagement (Orbis Press, 2018). Most recently, she served as Director of Campus Partnerships at Interfaith America.
"We are so thrilled to have Dr. Homayra lead our Divinity Program and take our Hassan Institute to new levels of transformative engagement and impact. Her wisdom and pastoral spirit will bring so much guidance and support to our M.Div. students, and her rich interfaith experience and international network will elevate and expand the work of the Hassan Institute, in sha' Allah. Welcome Dr. Homayra!"
Dr. Timothy J Gianotti, President
Multiply the Mission, Double the Impact
~$25K Matching Gift Challenge~
AIC isNorth America's very first Islamic Liberal Arts college(est. 1981) and nowone of only two independent Muslim institutions of higher educationon the continent to have achievedfull academic accreditation. In AIC’s case, this is the gold-standard accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This milestone signals a new chapter in which the quality, rigor, diversity, inclusivity, social impact, and thoughtful integration of Islamic values and intellectual traditions are publicly recognized, appreciated, and confirmed.
Now, we invite you to help shape the next chapter. AIC is growing rapidly, withscholarly contributions in academia,employed and well-placed graduates,impactful community programs, andIslamically grounded valuesthat drive mission-forward thinking; we are building an Islamic institution that America needs and deserves.
$25,000 Raised = $25,000 Matched
Alocal donor familyhas stepped up and generously offeredto match every $25,000raised for AIC, up to a total of $100,000. This is your opportunity to multiply your impact in support of AIC's mission and vision, and so, don't delay!
Whether you give $25,000 yourself or pool your gift with others to reach that goal,your contribution will help unlock powerful matching fundsto support:
Let’s unlock the next $25K match—together.
Give boldly. Give generously. Multiply your impact.
Your name will be placed on the newAIC Donors' Walland engraved on theCircle of 100 Plaque.
Make Your Gift Now.
May God forever bless you for joining our caravan of hope, healing, and service through education!
Dr. Timothy J. Gianotti
President, American Islamic College
OUR VISION
Welcoming students of all faiths and backgrounds, American Islamic College (AIC) is an accredited Chicago-based institution of higher learning grounded in Islamic values and steeped in Islam’s rich and diverse intellectual and cultural traditions. AIC promotes appreciation for the scope and richness of Islamic history and civilization both in and beyond the classroom by means of significant research, impactful teaching, and informative public events highlighting Islam’s intellectual, artistic, and cultural expressions. Through rigorous scholarship and a commitment to social justice, the collective good, civic involvement, interfaith understanding, and intercultural engagement, AIC prepares students to become critical thinkers, visionary leaders,
and responsible global citizens.
Thank you for your support & contributions!
American Islamic College is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institute of higher education. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
AMERICAN ISLAMIC COLLEGE
American Islamic College |640 W. Irving Park Rd|Chicago, IL 60613 US