He was the unanimous choice of the faculty to fill the position. Professor Robert Allen Warrior, AIS director, wrote that Salaita's "fresh and compelling contributions to the intellectual project of a critique of the concept of indigeneity, which is ... the core of what has made us an international leader in our field", and argued that Salaita's contribution would allow the department to "engage with the broader implications of comparative indigeneity within and beyond the scope of US imperialism and militarism in North America and the Pacific to include the Middle East." Warrior had worked with Salaita previously, as a member of his doctoral committee.[16]