Montclair State University is among the first group of U.S. colleges and universities to be awarded a grant to host a Fulbright Visiting Specialist in a new program designed to expand understanding and knowledge of Islamic societies and cultures both inside and outside the classroom.

Under the Fulbright Visiting Specialists: Direct Access to the Muslim World program, Montclair State received a grant to host Moian Sadeq, director of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities, Gaza, Palestinian Territories and professor of archaeology at the Islamic University of Gaza. Sadeq will be on campus through April 19.

The new initiative is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C.

"Your institution's submission was one of many competitive proposals received from throughout the United States," wrote Patti McGill Peterson, executive director of CIES. "It was clear that Montclair State University recognizes cross-cultural knowledge as the vital variable for internationalizing an institution and achieving the goal of 'globally competent leaders.' "

The Fulbright Visiting Specialist's visit coincides with the University's yearlong series, "The Many Faces of the Muslim World." The series focuses on the diversity of Muslim people and cultures around the world. As a featured speaker in the series, Sadeq will speak about the archaeology of Palestine and the social and educational status of the people of the Palestinian territories. He will also make presentations in several classes.

Sadeq earned a Ph.D. in archaeology from the Free University of Berlin and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute in 2000. At MSU, he will lecture to faculty and students on Islamic art and architecture, and the social and educational situation in Palestinian territories, and discuss results of archaeological excavations he participated in the old city of Jerusalem.

Other institutions awarded grants in the program include Harvard University, Vassar College, Syracuse University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Texas at El Paso, Bowling Green State University, Lafayette College and Washington State University.
Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by former Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Since the establishment of the program, 43,000 Visiting Scholars have conducted research or taught in U.S. universities, and more than 41,000 Fulbright U.S. scholars have engaged in similar activities abroad. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 800 grants to U.S. scholars each year.