Below are some highlights of what we’ve accomplished as of April, 2018

Academic

  • The fourth semester of our Continuing Education Program is underway; 15 classes have been offered to date and we have served approximately 200 students so far (numbers not yet final for the Spring, 2018 semester)
  • Adopted and installed a Learning Management System which is used to share content and facilitate communication between instructors and students
  • Launched our first Hybrid class which includes both online and offline sessions.  Based on student response and interest, we will offer additional online classes as well.
  • Developed a certificate program in Islamic Intellectual History that will provide a basic understanding of the Islamic tradition and its sources
  • Developed a detailed Graduate School curriculum
  • Held a weekend-long workshop that was attended by approximately 20 national leaders and academics who provided input and critique to help us further develop the curriculum
  • Expanded our reach by offering classes at Tufts, MIT, ICB Wayland and ISB Cambridge, in addition to ISBCC.
  • Established a Student Advisory Board
  • Launched a pilot program for college students called BIS Academy that has served about 35 students weekly since the Fall of 2017

Outreach and Partnership Building

  • Presented the Seminary project to the Board of Directors of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium that includes Harvard Divinity School, BU School of Theology, BC Theological School and others. The deans of member schools were in attendance and all showed interest in supporting the future membership of the Boston Islamic Seminary in such a consortium.
  • Held in-depth discussions with IIIT on the opportunities for support and collaboration.
  • Continued conversations with other Islamic institutions of Higher Education to explore opportunities for collaboration
  • Met with leaders from MAS, ICNA and CAIR regarding their support for the project and opportunities for collaboration
  • Met with executive leadership at several theology schools in the Boston area to get advice and guidance around organizational development, finances and programming