By
Anastasia Ching
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Celebrates reopening of renovated facility and funding until 2003
Amidst trays of hummus, falafel and pita bread, the University of Arizona's Center for Middle Eastern Studies had several causes for celebration this weekend.
The center - one of 14 national resource centers dedicated to the study of the Middle East - hosted a gathering of about 100 people Friday night celebrating not only its 25th anniversary, but also its newly renovated offices in the Franklin Building and its refunding by the U.S. Department of Education through 2003.
The center also displayed a new photo exhibit - entitled "Architecture in the Middle East: From the Grand to the Humble" - featuring 40 photos selected from more than 300 submissions depicting art and architecture from Sudan to North Africa.
Mark Tessler, director of the center, welcomed the crowd with words of thanks.
"We didn't have much of a program last fall because of the remodeling," Tessler said. "Now with our offices done and this wonderful staff, there is no shortage of people to thank."
Holly Smith, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, commented on the center's renovations.
"The CMES has always been a gem - intellectually, not in physical space," Smith said. "Now it is both."
The UA Latin America Area Center also recently received federal funding, and Diana Liverman, the Latin American center's director, expressed her institution's mutual respect for the Middle East center as well as goals for expanding international education.
"There is a lot of interest in international studies and international centers during this age of globalization," Liverman said. "We need to make it clear to the university that we want and need more money for international education."
Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., sent his press secretary, Keith Rosenblum, to the celebration to read his message because he was out of the country.
"Our world shrinks every day, and you're in the position of making it shrink even more," Kolbe wrote. "You are a vital bridge to an area that offers us so much culturally but that is so misunderstood."
The center serves as this "bridge" to the Middle East by offering community outreach programs, research and scholarship opportunities, and a library and computer lab available to anyone interested in the study of the region.
Gila Aispuro, a religious studies junior, came to the re-opening of the center out of curiosity.
"I'm interested in studying abroad, so I wanted to see what was here," Aispuro said. "I'm so impressed by the computer lab and the resources available about the Middle East - I want to start coming and learning more."
