Dalai Lama offers $100,000 to encourage religious studies at FIU


In response to the strong support for religious studies at FIU, including the Faculty and Student Senates, members of the community and the unprecedented offer from H. H. the Dalai Lama, FIU is proposing to maintain the Master of Arts in religious studies and a Bachelor of Arts minor in religious studies in a new religious studies program housed in the signature School of International and Public Affairs. FIU also intends to retain about half of the religious studies faculty.

The reorganization is part of $19.6 million in budget cuts being proposed by the university due to decreased state funding and the economic downturn.

Starting with H.H. the Dalai Lama’s gift, and in anticipation of his third visit to FIU, the university is launching an endowment campaign to ensure that religious studies will continue to contribute to FIU’s educational mission in the future. Given sufficient funding from this campaign, religious studies will be able to retain additional faculty members teaching a greater diversity of courses, and, possibly, the entire current Religious Studies Department can be secured. The goal is $5 million.

You can join His Holiness in support of religious studies at FIU by clicking here.

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