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Georgetown considers Jain Studies professorship
Jasvant Modi leads efforts to expand global Jain Studies through academic partnerships
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Bhavana P - Fri, 13, Jun 2025
- 12:44 EDT
- 49
(left to right) Manish Mehta, VP ALC Jaina—Natalia, PhD candidate, Georgetown University—Jasvant Modi, and Ariel Glucklich, chair, Religious Department of Georgetown University. / Jasvant Modi
Georgetown University is exploring the establishment of an endowed professorship in Jain Studies following a high-level visit from Jasvant Modi, a renowned philanthropist and leading advocate for Jain academic initiatives.
Modi, accompanied by Manish Mehta, vice-chair of the JAINA Academic Liaison Committee, met with university officials in April. During the meetings, the university expressed interest in expanding its academic offerings in Dharmic religions.
Also read: Arihanta Institute receives $1 M gift to establish endowed professorship
With an active Jain Student Association on campus, the proposed initiative would formalize Jain Studies within Georgetown’s curriculum and further its commitment to interfaith and cross-cultural education, a press statement said.
“Our goal is to help the world better understand the Jain path of nonviolence, compassion, and ecological balance. Supporting academic institutions in this work is essential to preserving these values for future generations,” Modi said.
Following the Georgetown meetings, Modi and Mehta met privately with Peter Mandelson at the British Embassy. The meeting, facilitated by professor James Mallinson of the University of Oxford, highlighted Modi’s work in the United Kingdom, where he has funded doctoral research and academic conferences at SOAS University of London and Oxford.
The diplomatic exchange concluded with a ceremonial presentation of a traditional Jain shawl and a copy of The Jaina Path of Purification by professor Padmanabh Jaini to Ambassador Mandelson.
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