Monday, January 29, 2024, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EST

Gary Hauk

Emory University Historian

“From John Wesley to the Dalai Lama: Emory’s Religious Pilgrimage and What It Means for a Modern Research University”

Founded as a Methodist college and later rechartered as a Southern Methodist university with generous funding from Asa Candler for the sake of “Christian education,” Emory nevertheless opened its doors early to students and faculty of other faiths. Two Jewish professors were hired in the 1880s, and the first Jewish student enrolled in 1916. By the end of the twentieth century, the student body reflected the religious diversity of the nation, and Emory soon would gain international attention as the only university with the Dalai Lama formally a member of the faculty. Despite Emory’s ascendance as a research university with renowned programs in medicine, public health, and the sciences, religion retains a prominent place at Emory. Why is this so, and what are the implications?