The Dr. Kamal Ali Scholarship

“To give them the knowledge, inspiration, and courage to become the change agents needed to make our world a better place for all people.”
~Dr. Kamal Ali

Dr. Kamal H. Ali was honored by the Ethnic and Gender Studies Department with a scholarship in his name as testimony to his legacy of dedication, inspiration, and outstanding service both to the university and the students. As director of both the Urban Education and the Student Support Services programs, and later as Dean of Multicultural Development, Dr. Ali re-invigorated university programs focusing on at-risk students from both inner-city and rural communities, first-generation students, and students from low-income families, students for whom a baccalaureate degree was—
and continues to be—the passport to meaningful careers in an increasingly competitive world.

Additionally, his role as faculty adviser to the Muslim Student Organization familiarized him with the numbers of Muslim students who need and deserve monetary and counseling support in their quest for educational parity.

Professor Ali guided a multi-ethnic group of students to Ghana in 2009, the first such trip to the continent in the history of Westfield State. Consistent with his teaching philosophy, the exciting, engaging time spent in the field, in Accra and the seaside city of Elmina, as well as the lecture halls at the University of Ghana campuses in Cape Coast and Legon were, predictably, overwhelmingly transformative experiences for students. It is these critically important, essential, yet unique educational experiences, and this legacy of progressive, student-centered global learning, that the Kamal Hassan Ali Scholarship seeks to support.

The compassionate guidance afforded to students by Dr. Ali has played a significant role in preparing them for success.