March 13, 2008 | By UCF Staff

At a time when Kurds are becoming known as “the Iraq that works,” the University of Central Florida will receive a $1 million donation to create the first endowed chair in Kurdish Political Studies in the United States.

Dr. Najmaldin Karim, a neurosurgeon in the Washington, D.C., area, has donated $600,000 to help UCF establish an endowed chair in Kurdish Political Studies. The position will help UCF expand its offerings related to Kurdish issues. Kurds play an important role in several countries, notably Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria.

With anticipated state matching funds, the value of Karim’s donation would increase to $1,020,000. After the state match is obtained, an international search will be conducted to select the faculty member who will hold the chair.

“The establishment of an endowed chair in Kurdish Political Studies at UCF will offer a new opportunity for the academic study of Kurdistan and the Kurds in the United States,” Karim said. “UCF is shaping a leadership position in Middle Eastern studies, and a Kurdish Political Studies chair can only increase the breadth of its programming.”

Karim founded and serves as president of the Washington Kurdish Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education for Kurdish people worldwide. He said he hopes the endowed chair will set a trend for the growth of Kurdish studies in American universities.

John C. Bersia, the special assistant to the president for Global Perspectives and co-chair of the Middle Eastern Studies Advisory Board at UCF, said “the Kurds are well-known as a stateless people who have struggled against difficult odds.” He added that Kurds have entered the world’s consciousness as never before.

Within Iraq, Kurdistan, a region with substantial autonomy, has become known as “the Iraq that works,” said Bersia, who played a key role in securing the endowed chair. He described Kurdistan as developing a model government with increasingly democratic features and an economy based on free-market principles.

The endowed chair will be part of the Department of Political Science in the College of Sciences. A name for the chair will be determined in the near future.

“Dr. Karim’s generous gift will allow UCF to continue to expand our global focus and help our community gain a better understanding of an ancient culture that has gained new stature in the Middle East,” UCF President John Hitt said. “In addition, the chair will assist us as we search for answers to questions about Iraq, the broader Middle East and U.S. foreign policy in the region.”

Said Roger Handberg, chairman of UCF’s Political Science Department: “The Middle East remains a challenging area, both economically and militarily, and the Kurds are central to considering that region. The chair-holder will provide important insights into politics, economics and human rights within the region, and hopefully facilitate understanding of the region by students and the people within Florida and the United States.”

The endowed chair fits well with the Department of Political Science’s increasing emphasis on international research, said College of Sciences Dean Peter Panousis, who added that the chair will give the department an enhanced opportunity to study and understand more clearly the political and cultural issues associated with a troubled and volatile region of the world.