Professor Khalidi is teaching History of Modern Middle East in the fall.

Professor Khalidi teaches History of Modern Middle East in the fall.

Every year, the Academic Awards Committee of Columbia awards the Mark Van Doren Award for Teaching to a professor with exceptional “humanity, devotion to truth, and inspiring leadership.” This year, it went to Professor of Mathematics Robert Friedman, who has taught in the math department for over 20 years. He chaired the department for three years and was recognized for his clarity and mentorship skills.

The Committee also presented the annual Lionel Trilling Award to Professor of History Rashid Khalidi. The award, given to a faculty member who’s published a book in the last year, was in recognition of Khalidi’s book Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East. Khalidi is presently the editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, and the book discusses the relationship between narrative and perception of the US-Israel-Palestine dynamic.

The official awards ceremony will be on May 5, from 6-7:30 p.m. in Faculty Room in Low.

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