To be established at the University Of South California (USC) School Of Religion with funds from the Dharma Civilisation Foundation, this is the first chair of Hindu studies in the US funded by the Indian American community.
"We are very proud to house the first chair of Hindu studies in the United States endowed by the Indian-American community," the USC President C L Max Nikias said in a statement. The Los Angeles based Dharma Civilisation Foundation aims to fund studies of the Indian civilisation, focusing on Hinduism, Buddhism, Jain and Sikh religions. The objective is to promote Dharma education through research scholarship, degree courses and endowed chairs. Last year Nikias led a delegation of university faculty, administrators and trustees, including USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni, to India, where they met with key Indian partners in higher education, business and government, and with USC alumni, to build sustainable alliances in the areas of medicine and health care, neurosciences, the arts, communication and journalism, business, technology and engineering. "This historic gift to the USC School of Religion highlights the department's commitment to study the enduring questions of human life and values from a global perspective," said Duncan Williams, chair of the School of Religion.