Associate Chaplain for Muslim Life Shane Atkinson has been awarded the full-tuition Muhammad Ali Scholarship to support his graduate studies in Muslim chaplaincy at the Chicago Theological Seminary.
Shane Atkinson, associate chaplain for Muslim life, has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship to support his graduate studies in the Master of Divinity program at the Chicago Theological Seminary.
Atkinson was named the recipient of the 2019 Muhammad Ali Spiritual Leadership Full-Tuition Scholarship. The award, endowed by hall of fame boxer and devout Muslim Muhammad Ali and overseen by his widow, Lonnie Ali, is awarded to full-time graduate students entering the Chicago Theological Seminary’s Master of Divinity in Islamic Chaplaincy program or the Bayan Claremont Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Leadership or Islamic Education programs.
“First of all, it’s an honor,” Atkinson said. “Muhammad Ali’s widow gave a resounding yes to me getting the scholarship. I thought that was very cool.”
The scholarship will support Atkinson’s pursuit of a Master of Divinity degree. With his studies focused on Islamic Chaplaincy, Atkinson will receive practical skills in spiritual care, cultural sensitivity, religious leadership and chaplaincy.
The Master of Divinity courses require students to spend one to two weeks per semester studying on the Chicago campus. The remaining coursework is completed online.
“I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Atkinson said. “I can’t be watching Netflix. I’ve got to be reading and writing papers after my kids and wife are asleep. As exciting as this is, I realize there’s a lot of work I have to do to make [the Alis] proud that they gave me the scholarship.”
Brian Pennington, director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society, wrote a letter of recommendation for Atkinson’s scholarship application, explaining, “His calm and patient manner, his willingness to engage any – and everyone in conversation about matters of substance, his quiet witness about Islam in a culture and society often hostile to it, and his abilities to draw students, faculty, and staff into conversation, have earned him widespread respect and affection on our campus.”
Atkinson, who has served at Elon for four years, also teaches in the UNC Medical Center chaplaincy program and serves as associate Imam of two local mosques, including Masjid Ar-Razzaq, the oldest in North Carolina.
In 2011, Atkinson was awarded an Ijaza, a master’s-level traditional degree, to teach Islamic theology, law and spirituality. Now, with the Muhammad Ali Spiritual Leadership Full-Tuition Scholarship, he has the opportunity to advance his studies and continue serving Elon and the surrounded community.
“This is all leading to being of service to humanity,” he said. “At the end of the day, for me, this is what this is all about: to try to please our Creator, whatever it is that put us on this planet, to try to be in harmony with that, and to try to be of service to your fellow human being.”