In this edition of Saa Nasta learn about Fatema Haque, an academic program manager and adjunct lecturer at the University of Michigan. Find out more about International Muslim History Month and why its important to preserve history in South Asian communities in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Saa Nasta Founder speaks to UCLA class on preserving South Asian, Muslim American history
This week Nargis Rahman gave a presentation to a library science Global Islam course class called the, “Grassroots Self-Documentation: Community Archives Among North American Muslims.”
In light of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Rahman discussed building community archives in the South Asian communities. In 2020, she was an archival fellow for the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) where she documented 10 oral histories of Bangladeshi Women Entrepreneurs in the Metro Detroit area. The digital archive was created into a podcast with Bengalis of New York. Some of the stories were published in local newspapers including the Detroit Free Press, Yemeni American News, Model D, and Mode Detroit. Learn more here.
Rahman also talked about the importance of documenting stories of American Muslims and others through storytelling, oral history, and archives.
Rahman was recently awarded by the Society of Professional Journalists, Detroit, Racial Justice Reporting (third place) for the story “For American Muslims, 9/11 Changed Life in America,” on the impact of 9/11 on American Muslims, 20 years later. The story was reported for WDET 101.9 FM.
International Muslim History Month features Golden Age changemakers
May is International Muslim History Month, created by the organizers of World Hijab Day, recognized by the New York State Senate. The month was created to dispel stereotypes and educate people about Muslim history. This year the series features Muslim changemakers over the Golden Age. Check out the stories across social media.
A day in the life of an: Academic Program Manager and Adjunct Lecturer Fatema Haque
This series highlights different professionals from various careers who share background information about getting into their fields.
Tell me about yourself in a few sentences:
I’m Fatema Haque, a Bangladeshi-born Michigander and an educator. I’ve been teaching and working at universities since 2009. I’ve worked abroad in Chittagong, Bangladesh, at the Asian University for Women, and in the US at Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia, and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I wanted to be an archeologist, an astronaut, and a writer. To some degree, I pursued all three – I studied Classical Civilizations as an undergrad, taking classes in archeology; wrote off being an astronaut when I realized the reality of space travel vs. the sci-fi TV shows I was watching; and am still pursuing a career as a writer.
What is your current profession?
I currently work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, as an Academic Program Manager and Adjunct Lecturer. I run a couple of student-facing programs that focus on building students’ leadership skills through project-based work. I teach a couple of leadership classes.
What led you to this profession?
It happened quite accidentally. I wanted to live and work in Bangladesh after I graduated with my Bachelor’s, and there was an opportunity to teach at a new liberal arts university in Bangladesh called the Asian University for Women in Chittagong. While there, I realized that I loved working with undergraduate students, building systems, processes, and programs for students, and basically running a university. It was fun, and I felt useful.
What skills did you have to gain to get into your field? Class/courses or experiences?
To work in higher education, you need to have great oral and written communication skills. Most things are done in collaboration with other people, so knowing how to work in teams is a must. Other skills include critical thinking, problem-solving, event or program management. These are skills you can cultivate in any field, so no specific degrees are required to work in higher education, though a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration is desired. A lot of my colleagues also have Masters degrees in Social Work, Public Administration, or other related fields.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
People who are organized and detail-oriented tend to thrive in careers in higher education. You have to do all sorts of things that have multiple moving pieces, teaching and mentoring students, working alongside staff and faculty who might participate in a program or budgets, implementing university policies, and working with vendors in planning and executing an event. My favorite part of the job is working directly with students, either supervising them or teaching them, but not all university positions are student-facing.
Here are some questions to consider: Would you rather work behind the scenes or directly with people? Who would you rather support: staff, faculty, or students? Are you more interested in creating and running programs or supporting other staff members in running their programs? Do you dream of being in University leadership or would you be happier managing smaller scale programs? Colleges and universities are great in that they can offer you any combination of all of these things!
What kinds of accomplishments tend to be valued and rewarded in this field?
Successfully implementing an event or program, receiving good feedback on program evaluations, and high turn out or participation in programs are some of the bigger things. Other accomplishments include: presenting at conferences, being nominated for or receiving awards at the university, publishing papers in academic journals, leading committees or affiliation groups.
How do most people get into this field? What are common entry-level jobs?
There are so many ways to get into higher education. A lot of people get their first taste as undergraduate student employees. If you’ve ever worked in the dining hall, served as a resident advisor, worked in a university office, then you already know a bit about working in higher education. Other people enter the field quite accidentally: maybe they are teaching at a university, and start addressing administrative needs because they observe a gap (that’s how I got my start), or they get an entry-level position as an administrative coordinator or program specialist and discover that they love it and want to move up the ranks.
What kinds of challenges do you face in your profession? How do you overcome them?
The challenges you can face in higher education administration depends on who you’re working with. If you work directly with students, you might face absenteeism, students who are struggling with or are overwhelmed by their coursework, and so on. If you work with faculty, it could be lack of responsiveness or follow-through (they prioritize other things). Generally, you could face hurdles because of changing university policies or being expected to do a lot with little. Work-life balance can also be a big challenge, as some units are under-resourced and will ask more of you. You have to be comfortable with ambiguity. Patience helps. Setting boundaries with work and saying no when you’d be stretched too thin works wonders. I also spend a lot of time clarifying roles and expectations. Communicating expectations goes a long way to keeping you sane and balanced!
How does your job affect your general lifestyle and/or work/life balance?
Finding work/life balance was definitely the hardest lesson I’ve learned as an educator and administrator. I used to work ridiculous hours, to the point where I’d keep a notepad on my nightstand because I’d wake up in the middle of the night remembering something I needed to do. Now, I know when I have busy periods (usually at the beginning or ending of a semester) and plan to work longer hours. During the academic year from September - April, I also have to be more available via email and may not be able to leave work at work. When not in these high activity periods, I tend to only look at work-related things at work and draw firmer boundaries.
Describe a day in the life for your profession:
A typical day involves some time in the office answering emails, working on projects (e.g., writing up an event plan, contacting participants, etc.), attending meetings (staff meetings, meetings with student employees I supervise), and teaching in the classroom.
What advice would you give to those who wish to pursue your profession?
Working in higher education can be very rewarding and fun. Find out what sort of work you like to do, and see if you can do that at a university. There are a lot of possibilities!
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
I would definitely choose to work in higher education! I’ve been able to work with thousands of students over the years, hundreds of staff and faculty, and learned so many skills that I utilize in other parts of my life.
If you’d like to submit your story for the “A Day in the Life of A” series email thesaanasta@gmail.com.