Dear MSA Alumni

We are writing to seek your support of MSA National! This year has been full of exciting and substantive developments in our quest to serve Muslim students on college and university campuses. The main highlights are in the areas of organizational development, student leadership development, outreach, collaborating with other national student serving organizations, amplifying the student voice at meetings with the White House and government agencies, providing timely support to students through webinars and the development of other resources. We are confident that insha’Allah with your support, MSA National will be able to have an even greater impact on the lives of our students in 2017 – a year that may unfortunately present unprecedented challenges to their sense of safety and security and indeed to their identity as a Muslim! Support us today with a one-time year-end contribution of $250, $500 or $1,000. Remember, donations made to MSA National on or before December 31st, 2016 are tax-deductible!

Organizational Development

The Board of Directors appointed Sr. Fatima Salman, MSW, as the Executive Director in April, 2016 and she has been working diligently to connect with the key stakeholders of MSA National. Based out of Detroit, MI, Sr. Fatima’s longstanding involvement with serving youth has helped her to establish a solid network of students and alumni such as yourself. She will be supported in 2017 with a part-time administrative assistant and we are confident that MSA National will once again be able to respond efficiently and effectively to the unique challenges facing our students.

Student Leadership Development

A key challenge facing every campus is the transfer of knowledge and experience from one cohort of students to the next. MSA National understands and appreciates how busy students are and is positioned to provide opportunities for student leadership development. During the 2016 annual convention, 45 student leaders representing 20 MSA chapters from around the country gathered to learn from each other’s experiences while also hearing about best practices from our two student directors, Sr. Maheen Ahmed and Sr. Nesreen Gusbi. MSA National is working with existing regional councils to understand better the needs of the current generation of students and to develop resources to meet those needs. Following the annual convention, attention shifted to the sociopolitical climate during the campaign for the Presidential election. MSA National was proactive and developed collaborated with civil rights organizations and mental health service providers to develop and disseminate resources. Two webinars were held after the elections, one to provide spiritual support and one to provide media training for student leaders. On December 15, MSA National sent five student leaders to a convening at the White House that was on combatting bigotry and coalition building. Additionally, students sent a letter to the President on the crisis in Aleppo.

Outreach

Executive Director Fatima Salman piloted an outreach program by traveling to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne (UIUC). History buffs will recall that MSA National was founded in 1963 on the UIUC campus, where Dr. Ahmed Sakr was a doctoral student. Sr. Fatima met with representatives from the campus administration and presented on the topic of “Creating Inclusivity on Campuses.” She also spoke at an interfaith event during the MSA UIUC Islam Awareness Week. We hope that similar outreach visits can be planned so that there is a connection with both campus administration and MSA leaders and members.

Collaboration and Partnerships with National Organizations

MSA National is determined not to reinvent the wheel – we are exerting tremendous energies to collaborate with and develop longstanding partnerships with national organizations. In 2016 alone, MSA National has initiated conversations with NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education), CAIR National, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Jewish Voices for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, Amerian Muslim Health Professionals, ICNA Relief, MPower. With MPower in particular, MSA National was able to facilitate seven universities to work on voter registration drives during the election cycle. In addition, MSA National has connected with national student organizations including Hillel and InterVarsity, which resulted in a strong and powerful letter of support and solidarity from InterVarsity and other Evangelical groups.

Please support MSA National. Our challenges have increased, and the work has become even more important. All your donations are appreciated.