Penn has established a new initiative that will bring scholars and experts on the Middle East to the University for a semester of teaching and programming.
Through the Penn Global Middle East Distinguished Visiting Scholars Initiative, announced on Oct. 28, up to two regional senior scholars per year will spend a semester at Penn leading courses and discussions about the dynamics of the Middle East. The program is set to launch in fall 2025 with the arrival of Dahlia Scheindlin, an international political consultant and public opinion expert based in Tel Aviv.
The other inaugural distinguished visiting scholars are modern Middle East historian Shay Hazkani and political scientist Amal Jamal, who will begin their residencies in spring 2026 and fall 2026, respectively.
The College of Arts and Sciences Departments of Political Science and History have partnered to make the initiative possible and will host the visiting scholars during their stay. Furthermore, the program is funded through an unrestricted donation made by 1962 Wharton graduate Stewart Colton, and Judy Colton to support Interim Penn President Larry Jameson's work during a transitional period for Penn leadership.
Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives, said in the announcement that the initiative "will foster deeper intellectual engagement of historical and contemporary issues facing the Middle East, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
He added that the program came in response to a recommendation from the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community to "establish a scholar program that focuses on talking across differences.”
Jameson first convened the commission in December 2023, charging it with addressing the “interconnectedness” of hate, discrimination, and bias on Penn’s campus. The group released its final report in May with various suggestions regarding Penn's campus culture, values, and academic programming. One of its suggestions was to establish a Distinguished Visiting Professors Program, for example bringing "an Israeli and a Palestinian/Arab" pair to campus each semester.
Scheindlin, who will join the Political Science department, conducts public opinion research related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is the author of the 2023 book "The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel."
Hazkani is an associate professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Amal Jamal serves as dean of the faculty of social sciences and head of the Walter Lebach Institute for the Study of Jewish-Arab Coexistence at Tel Aviv University.
"This initiative intends to engage the entire Penn community in much-needed critical conversations," Emanuel said in the announcement. "By welcoming Dahlia, Shay, and Amal as the inaugural visiting scholars to campus, we will enrich our community with their expertise and inspire a deeper dialogue on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East.”
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