Have a question worth a center?

The house is meant to grow. Any member of the collective may propose a new room, and every proposal is read with care.

I · What makes a center

Five marks of a room.

I
An enduring question. A center holds a question that will still matter in a generation, not a project that will be finished in a year.
II
Rooted in the tradition. The question can be read in conversation with the Islamic sciences, and the center would seek out scholars who can help.
III
Distinct from the existing rooms. It asks something none of the current centers already holds, or holds it in a way they cannot.
IV
Kept by people. There are at least a few people willing to keep it: to read, convene and carry its first year.
V
Open to the collective. Its seminars, outputs and invitations would be open to the whole collective, and its work published openly.

II · The process

Any season
Write
Send a proposal using the form below. A short one is welcome; it can grow.
Within the term
Conversation
An officer of the Institute writes back to talk through the question and who might keep it.
Spring
Hearing
Mature proposals are heard at the colloquium, where the directors of the existing centers respond.
Autumn
Opening
If accepted, the new center presents its first agenda at convocation.

III · The proposal

Write plainly; there is no required length. If you are unsure whether your question fits, read the existing centers first, and propose anyway.