FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, December 22, 2020 (India West): Over two dozen families, individuals and foundations have come together to create a joint Endowed Chair in Jain and Hindu studies at California State University, Fresno. The partnership between the Jain and Hindu communities and the university underscores a “mutual commitment to educating current and future generations of students about the principles of nonviolence, dharma (virtue, duty), justice, pluralist philosophy, the interconnectedness of all beings and care for the environment through Hindu-Jain texts, philosophies and traditions,” the university stated in a press release.
Fresno State president Joseph I. Castro called the partnership historic. “The California State University has never seen a partnership like this one with the Jain and Hindu communities. I’m very pleased that this has happened at Fresno State. It establishes a model for other campuses in the CSU and around the country to do the same,” he said. The Endowed Chair will be housed in the department of philosophy in the College of Arts and Humanities and will be an integral part of the university’s religious studies program. A professor who is an expert in both the religions’ traditions will be appointed as interim chair in 2021. Additionally, the Endowed Chair also will support Jain and Hindu scholarly endeavors for students, including scholarships, stipends and research funds.
More at “source”.