School of Humanities to Establish Endowed Chair in Indic Religious and Civilizational Studies
Office of the Dean
May 12, 2015
The Dharma Civilization Foundation and donors Irma and Ushakant Thakkar have pledged $1.5M to the School of Humanities to establish the Thakkar Family DCF Endowed Chair in Indic Religious and Civilizational Studies along with additional academic opportunities.
The Thakkar Family DCF Endowed Chair in Indic Religious and Civilizational Studies will be established at the School of Humanities, thanks to a gift of $1.5M from the Dharma Civilization Foundation and Irma and Ushakant Thakkar, individual donors with a profound interest in educational philanthropy. The Dharma Civilization Foundation (“DCF”) is a California-based non-profit organization that seeks to promote and enhance philanthropic giving to promote the systematic study of Indian religious traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh).
"This new endowed chair not only anchors our religious studies program by permanently securing faculty-led research and instruction in one of the world's most influential religions, but it also further supports our campus strength in Indian and South Asian studies, as well as in the study of the global South Asian diaspora. These are fundamental areas of expertise for UC Irvine's international preeminence as a cutting-edge site of global learning," said Georges Van Den Abbeele, dean of the School of Humanities.
The endowed chair will be a respected scholar in Indic Religious and Civilization Studies and will have expertise in the study of Dharma traditions with an emphasis on interpretation and expression of the classical Hindu teachings, texts and practices. The scholar will work closely with the faculty associated with the School of Humanities’ Program in Religious Studies and other departments to develop relevant courses for the study of India and Indian Civilization that will emphasize, but not be limited to, research and programs on Indian culture, religion, ethics, philosophy, history, language, literature, arts and society.
The School of Humanities is a leader in the field of religious studies, with Jack Miles, Distinguished Professor of English and Religious Studies, directing the program. His book God: A Biography secured him a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 and he recently served as general editor for the Norton Anthology of World Religions, a landmark work in which the six major, living, international world religions coexist on the pages to help us all, as Miles says, “see others with a measure of openness, empathy, and good will.”
Under Miles’ direction, the program recently hired Dr. Urmila Patil. Dr. Patil earned a BA and an MA in Sanskrit at the University of Mumbai. She taught a survey of Asian religions in the Winter and will begin teaching an upper division elective course in Hinduism, funded by the DCF, this Spring.
“Globally no less than nationally, we live in a world without a majority religion. The more populations mingle globally, the more living as a religious minority becomes the norm rather than the exception, and the more higher education about the world’s religions becomes essential to maintain not just peace but also material and spiritual cooperation among them. For that to happen, knowledge of the religions of India is indispensible,” said Jack Miles, Distinguished Professor of English and Religious Studies.
This is the second gift for an endowed chair this academic year for the School of Humanities, with the first endowed chair established in Armenian Studies.
To learn more about the pledged Endowed Chair in Indic Religious and Civilizational Studies, please reach out to Marijana Lekousis, Interim Director of Development, at marijana@uci.edu or 949-824-1342.