Professor Who Wore Hijab Accepts Fellowship at Virginia

Larycia Hawkins, who left the faculty of Wheaton College of Illinois over a controversy on her statements on God, has accepted a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture of the University of Virginia. At Virginia, she will study the relationship between races and religions. Hawkins and Wheaton reached a deal for her to leave after the college started a process to fire her. Hawkins wore a hijab during Advent as a sign of solidarity with Muslims, and her explanation of her action -- that she believed Christians and Muslims worship a common God -- was inconsistent with Wheaton's beliefs, officials said. (Many faculty members disagreed that her statements were problematic.)