Edu-leaders

Inspired with the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda, the prestigious University of Chicago will establish a Vivekananda Chair, supported by a $1.5 million gift from India.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard between Dean of University of Chicago (UOC) Martha Roth and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Sanjiv Mittal in presence of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Under this programme, the one-quarter visiting professorship will be given to distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplines with an interest in the fields of study most relevant to the teachings and philosophies of the Swami Vivekananda, such as Indian philosophy, politics and social movements.

Swami Vivekananda rose to prominence in the US during the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, when he delivered a lecture on the teachings of Hinduism. The decision of establishing chair was taken to honour his life and legacy.

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It has a reputation of devotion to academic scholarship and intellectualism and is affiliated with scores of Rhodes Scholars and 87 Nobel Prize laureates.