New Progress for Mormon Studies

[DrumNFeather]

Apparently, The University of Virginia just received an anonymous 3 million dollar donation to establish a Mormon Studies program in its religion dept. It'll be named after Richard Bushman.

http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2012/10/new-progress-for-mormon-studies/

[UtahDan]

Saw that yesterday. I would love to know who funded it.

[jay santos]

Is this sort of position filled by an apologist or critic?

[YOhio]

Saw that yesterday. I would love to know who funded it.

I wonder if there is a connection to Southern Virginia U. Maybe none at all, but it is kind of curious that so much Mormon money is being donated to academia in a southern state without a sizable LDS population.

[YOhio]

Is this sort of position filled by an apologist or critic?

One disguised as the other, depending on who you ask.

[DrumNFeather]

Saw that yesterday. I would love to know who funded it.

From the comments to the article, it sounds like this money was raised over a few years, so it wasn't just one person donating it all at once. I just figured it was you there money bags!

[UtahDan]

Is this sort of position filled by an apologist or critic?

I don't think there are very many of these sorts of positions. And Bushman seems to be a one of a kind from what I can tell. I will be very interested to see who they hire.

[Paperback Writer]

I wonder if there is a connection to Southern Virginia U. Maybe none at all, but it is kind of curious that so much Mormon money is being donated to academia in a southern state without a sizable LDS population.

There's probably more LDS in northern VA/DC than some might think. A couple of decades ago, I worked on an admissions project in the Smoot building and the DC area had by far the greatest concentration of incoming BYU students outside the Mormon west. Probably why the DC temple was the first one east of the Mississippi.

I wonder if more students are opting for U. of Virginia (if they can get accepted) over other options like BYU. Perhaps there is a significant LDS student population at U. of Virginia. If one of my kids had the grades and test scores to get an academic scholarship, I'd send her to U. of Virginia in a heart beat. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine, but I think a big reason why many students outside of Utah opt for BYU over in-state universities is because they don't want to be the only Mormon on campus. Hopefully this is changing.

Anyway, good to read that a Mormon studies chair is being funded at U. of Virginia.

[UtahDan]

There's probably more LDS in northern VA/DC than some might think. A couple of decades ago, I worked on an admissions project in the Smoot building and the DC area had by far the greatest concentration of incoming BYU students outside the Mormon west. Probably why the DC temple was the first one east of the Mississippi.

I wonder if more students are opting for U. of Virginia (if they can get accepted) over other options like BYU. Perhaps there is a significant LDS student population at U. of Virginia. If one of my kids had the grades and test scores to get an academic scholarship, I'd send her to U. of Virginia in a heart beat. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine, but I think a big reason why many students outside of Utah opt for BYU over in-state universities is because they don't want to be the only Mormon on campus. Hopefully this is changing.

Anyway, good to read that a Mormon studies chair is being funded at U. of Virginia.

I have always heard that it is the largest concentration of Mormons east of the Mississippi. There seems to be a large nexis between Mormons and federal government jobs.

[Paperback Writer]

I have always heard that it is the largest concentration of Mormons east of the Mississippi. There seems to be a large nexis between Mormons and federal government jobs.

A related connection is with LDS and education. I remember reading that Mormons are the most educated group of Americans after Jews. So there is a nexus between Mormons and federal government jobs that require a university education and/or an advanced degree like law. There is also a nexis between Mormons and academia for the same reason. I speak from the experience of someone with a father with a foot in both government and academia (USDA scientist stationed at a large, research university). Going from memory, the entire High Council was similar: mostly professors or university administrators. If someone was a doctor or lawyer they were usually teaching or affilated with the university like my Dad. I think Northern VA/DC has both factors working for it: federal government and academia.

[LA Ute]

For those who are in the Southern California area and have time, this lecture will be at Claremont Graduate University this week:

Thursday, Oct 18, 8:00pm

Lecture by John Turner
"Brigham Young: A New Look at
Mormonism's Second Prophet"

Dr. Turner is a professor of religion at George Mason University. Several years ago, he decided to write a book on Mormonism and post-1945 political conservatism, but then found himself drawn back into the nineteenth century. The result is his new book, Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, recently published by Harvard University Press. Turner is also the author of Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America, winner of Christianity Today's 2009 award for History / Biography.

I wish I could go. It's sponsored by the Center for Mormon Studies there.