 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
The Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Fariborz Maseeh and The Massiah Foundation. The Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture, established by the School of Humanities in collaboration with the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, is a center dedicated to drawing on the strengths of the entire UC Irvine campus. The Center serves as a resource for the research, instruction and celebration of Persian history and culture. 
Dr. Fariborz Maseeh is the founding benefactor of the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture. The Iranian-born Maseeh is a worldwide expert in micro-electro-mechanical systems, or MEMS. After earning a doctorate in engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Maseeh founded IntelliSense in 1991. It was the first company of its kind for the custom design, development and manufacturing of next generation MEMS devices – tiny, computer-controlled chips used in products ranging from cardiac pacemakers to aircraft landing gear. After IntelliSense was acquired in 2000, Dr. Maseeh established the Massiah Foundation, whose mission is to make significant improvements in education, health, arts, literature and science. Maseeh considers himself a “venture philanthropist,” applying business concepts to his philanthropy. He considers his gifts as investments and looks for causes with clear objectives and broad markets. Maseeh serves as a UCI Foundation trustee and sits on engineering advisory boards at UCI’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the University of Southern California and Portland State University. He has endowed several chairs in various engineering disciplines at MIT and PSU. He is chairman of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County Foundation and serves on a number of community boards, including the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Biography
|
After graduating first from Lafayette College and then from the
Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898, Dr. Samuel M. Jordan spent 43 years as a missionary in Iran. He was the founder and president
of the American College of Tehran, renamed Alborz College of
Tehran. Dr. Jordan served as president of the institution from 1899-
1940 and during his period of leadership played a significant
role in the growth of Alborz from an elementary school to a famous
and respected college. He was well known for his dedication to
expanding the size of the campus and enhancing the opportunities
for the school and its students. An avid believer in the value of
sports, he is credited with bringing football, volleyball, basketball
and soccer to Iran. Dr. Jordan’s commitment to the academic community
in Iran through his work at Alborz earned him the Iranian Decoration
of the First Scientific Medal in 1940. After his retirement, Dr.
Jordan made a trip to Iran on a good-will mission in 1944. A bust
of him was dedicated at that time believed to be the only such bust
of a Westerner in Iran. A principal street in Teheran bears his name
as further recognition of his contribution to the country.