From the Harvard Foundation:
Ali Asani is the [Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and] Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures in the Committee on the Study of Religion and Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. The Foundation honors Professor Asani with the Faculty of the Year Award for his work chairing the Dean's Working Group on Symbols and Spaces of Engagement. The Working Group included a mix of faculty, administrators, and students and was charged with examining how Harvard's spaces, symbols, and programming advance an inclusive learning environment.
The Foundation recognizes and appreciates Professor Asani's tireless efforts to include students as thought partners and to proactively seek out student voices in every step of this year-long process. For all of the time, patience, generosity, and love that Dr. Asani poured into this work, we honor him with the 2020 Harvard Foundation Faculty of the Year Award.