Last week, IU Indianapolis Arabic and Islamic Studies Program Director Edward Curtis, the Gail M. and William M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts, took home the Chancellor’s Award for Civic Engagement, and then five days later, he received the Asian Student Union’s Faculty Leader of the Year Award.
“I knew that the Chancellor’s Award was a possibility because it requires a very long application,” said Dr. Curtis, “but the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) award came as a complete surprise.”
The Chancellor’s Award, which includes a $3,000 permanent salary increase, recognized Curtis’ creation and leadership of the Arab Indianapolis community history project. From 2020 to 2023, the project engaged 10 IU Indianapolis student researchers, 24 community contributors, and 75 donors to produce a thrice Emmy-award winning WFYI documentary, a book, a website so far used by 40,000 people, a heritage tour, an Indiana Historical Bureau marker, a K-12 educators workshop, PBS Learning media and lesson plans, and 20 Indiana Humanities community dialogues around the state. It also led to new refereed scholarship about Arab American public history and a broader recognition of Arab Hoosiers on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Millennium Plaza, the Riverside Park Promenade and at the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana Historical Society.
Nominated for the award by Professors Kate Miller, Rosa Tezanos-Pinto, and Rachel Wheeler, Curtis was also supported by Sen. Fady Qaddoura, Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network founding director Hiba Alalami, Indiana Humanities Director of Programs Megan Telligman, Professor Susan Hyatt, and Dean of Liberal Arts Tami Eitle. Sen. Qaddoura, who was first Arab Muslim elected to the Indiana General Assembly and also an IU Indianapolis alum, wrote in his letter of support that “I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I believe that Edward Curtis deserves the Chancellor’s Award. The award is not really just for him. It will be for all of us Hoosiers who have an Arab background.”
Five days after being recognized by the Chancellor, Curtis was given the Faculty Leader of the Year award by the Asian Student Union at the annual APIDA student gala. The award is given to a “faculty member who has shown an outstanding dedication to advocating for the rights of the Asian-Pacific Islander-Desi-American students and community in Indianapolis.”
The awards ceremony, held at the Crane Bay Events Center, featured Filipino, Palestinian, and Indian student dancers, a keynote address, and recognition of student and community leaders. “Seeing students with such diverse Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds cheer and support one another was even better than getting an award,” according to Curtis. “It inspired me to look for new ways to support their already-strong dedication to learning about and celebrating not only their cultural diversity but also their shared histories and experiences.”
