Timothy Gianotti

About Timothy Gianotti

Scholar and academic administrator with experience in institution building, accreditation, academic affairs, assessment, strategic planning, fundraising, budgeting, overseeing faculty, curricula, and students, building inter-institutional ties across Chicago and around the globe, creating community partnerships, fostering faculty governance, recruitment, etc. Scholar of classical Islamic theology, philosophy, and spirituality with strong interests in Islamic Psychology, Moral Theology, Pastoral Theology, Ethics, Political Thought, Comparative Religion and spirituality, and interfaith relations, with a special interest in the thought of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali one of the most important religious thinkers of the classical period; a Muslim theologian, pastoral leader, and committed interfaith advocate with extensive experience promoting meaningful and transformative interfaith engagement around the globe. BA from the University of Notre Dame (Great Books, Classics); MA & PhD from the University of Toronto (Islamic Philosophy & Theology), with several periods of study in the Middle East, including the occupied West Bank and Amman, Jordan (at the University of Jordan’s College of Islamic Studies). More than thirty years of university-level teaching experience in the US and Canada, including serving as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at American Islamic College, Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada, the York-Noor Chair of Islamic Studies at York University (in Canada), and Assistant Professor of Arabic & Islamic Thought at the University of Virginia, the University of Oregon, and Penn State University. Beyond the academy, I am the Founder and principal teacher of the Islamic Institute for Spiritual Formation in Toronto and was privileged to have served as one of two religious advisors for Muhammad Ali as the Champ carefully planned his final statement to the world in the form of his funeral.Author of Al-Ghazali’s Unspeakable Doctrine of the Soul (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2001) and In the Light of a Blessed Tree: Illuminations of Islamic Belief, Practice, and History (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2011), in addition to a range of scholarly articles, book chapters, and theological essays. Special interest in the inner (psycho-spiritual) processes of moral beautification (iḥsān) and character formation within an Islamic framework. Recipient of the Canadian Senate\'s 150th Anniversary Medal (2017) in recognition of my work in interfaith relations.

Experience

1. President

   American Islamic College

   Aug 2020 — Present · Chicago, IL, US

Education

• University of Toronto

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Islamic Philsophy, Theology and Mysticism; Medieval Christian & Jewish Philosophy

  1990 — 1997

• University of Toronto

  Master of Arts (MA), Classical Arabic, Islamic Intellectual History

  1989 — 1990

• University of Notre Dame

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Program of Liberal Studies (Great Books), Classics, Middle East & Mediterranean Studies

  1983 — 1988

Skills

• Middle Eastern Studies
• Perception
• Academic Administration
• Religion
• Psychotherapy
• Mediation
• Spiritual Direction
• Mysticism
• Intercultural Training
• Curriculum Design
• Teaching
• Higher Education
• Workshop Facilitation
• Religious Studies
• University Teaching
• Conflict Resolution
• Community Outreach
• Blogging
• Languages
• Research
• Books
• Staff Development
• Program Development
• Philosophy
• Public Speaking
• Islamic Studies
• Comparative Religion
• Grant Writing
• Philosophy of Religion
• Intercultural Relations
• Politics
• Theology
• Interfaith Relations
• Curriculum Development
• History
• Arabic
• Religious Education