University of the West
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University of the West |
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| Established | 1991 |
| Type | Private Buddhist affiliated |
| President | Dr. Roger Schmidt |
| Dean | Dr. Ananda Guruge |
| Students | Approximately 200 full time enrollment |
| Location | Rosemead, California, USA |
| Address | 1409 N. Walnut Grove Ave Rosemead, CA 91770 |
| Telephone | 626-571-8811 |
| Campus | 10 acres |
| Colors | Burgundy/Gold |
| Nickname | UWest |
| Affiliations | Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order, Hsi Lai Temple, International Academy of Buddhism |
| Website | www.uwest.edu |
| Abstract lotus | |
The University of the West (Ch. 西來大學, Hsi Lai Da Xue, formerly known as Hsi Lai University, commonly known as UWest) is a university in Rosemead, California. The first Buddhist-funded university in the United States, it was founded in 1991 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of the Taiwan-based Buddhist order Fo Guang Shan and Hsi Lai Temple. It moved from the Hsi Lai Temple complex in Hacienda Heights to its current location in 1996.
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[edit] History
UWest is a private, non profit campus. Although founded by a Buddhist organization, UWest is not a Buddhist college. It does not train people for the monastic order. Students are not required to subscribed to the Buddhist faith or practice Buddhism in any form to attend the university. Indeed, UWest's undergraduate and graduate programs in Business Administration garner higher enrollment numbers than its undergraduate and graduate programs in Religious Studies. UWest's Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies Departments are world renowned and attract monastics and students of Buddhist wisdom from across the world.
[edit] President
The current interim president of the University of the West is Dr. Roger Schmidt. Schmidt graduated from San Bernardino Valley College (1955), the University of Redlands (1957), and the Claremont Graduate University (1963) with degrees in philosophy, religion, and history. He taught philosophy and religious studies at San Bernardino Valley College from 1963-1993, including four years at Crafton Hills College (1987-1991), and chaired the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the Social Science Division. He was a professor of religion, department chair, and Dean of Academic Affairs at UWest from 1991 to 2001 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University in 1998.
Schmidt is the author of Exploring Religion (1980, 1988); co-author of Patterns of Religion (1999, 2004); co-author of San Bernardino Valley College Sports, 1926-1996; co-author with his wife, Ann Schmidt, of an instructor's manual for Exploring Religion; and has published numerous articles, booklets, and book reviews. His academic posts have afforded him an opportunity to teach in London for a semester with the Southern California Foothills Colleges Consortium and the American Institute for Foreign Studies and to travel to Beijing to work on behalf of the University of the West.
UWest's former president is Dr. Lewis R. Lancaster, who is a 33 year faculty member of the University of California, Berkeley. Lancaster stepped down on August 1st, 2006, to pursue research projects and article writing.
[edit] Mission
The mission of University of the West is to
- Educate students in a context informed by Buddhist wisdom and values.
- Facilitate cultural understanding and appreciation between East and West.
[edit] Academic programs
The University added new degree programs leading to an MA in Chinese and an MA in Psychology when the programs were accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges on Dec. 15, 2006.
UWest currently offers degrees in the following majors:
- Bachelor's in Business Administration - with concentrations in Marketing; Accounting; Information Technologies and Management; and International Business.
- Master's in Business Administration - with concentrations in Information Technologies and Management; International Business; Finance; and Non Profit Organization Management.
- Executive MBA (EMBA).
- Bachelor's in Religious Studies - with concentrations in Comparative Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies.
- Master's in Religious Studies - with concentrations in Comparative Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies.
- Doctor of Buddhist Studies
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religious Studies.
- Bachelor's in English
- Bachelor's in Chinese Language and Literature
- Master's in Chinese - with concentrations in Chinese Language and Literature; Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language; and Chinese-English Translation and Interpretation
(UWest also offers courses in Biblical Hebrew, Sanskrit, Pali, Canonical Chinese, and Tibetan. Graduate students in the Religious Studies Program are required to take 6 units from one of the languages just mentioned. Students already fluent in these languages can waive this requirement if they pass a written test.)
- Bachelor's in History
- Bachelor's in Psychology with a concentration in Buddhist psychology.
- Master's in Psychology with concentrations in Buddhist psychology; Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Multicultural Counseling Psychology; and Monastic/Pastoral Counseling
- UWest also has ongoing English as a Second Language program
[edit] Enrollment
UWest enrollment stood at just over 200 students at the start of the Spring 2007 semester. The campus has seen a significant growth in population since accreditation in 2006. The student body is still primarily international in character. Aside from U.S. students, the student body is made up of students from China, Taiwan, Tibet, Indian, Sri Lankan, France, Germany, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Korea, Nepal and other countries.
[edit] Research centers
- International Academy of Buddhism (IAB)
- The Center for the Study of Minority and Small Business (CSMSB)
[edit] Accreditation
UWest was accredited in February, 2006, by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The process took six years to complete. According to WASC's new accreditation procedures and 2001 issued Handbook, degrees issued by University of the West since July 2002 will be fully recognized.
[edit] Financial Aid
UWest is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to process Federal Financial Aid and by the California Department of Education to issue state financial aid. Other financial aid options include the Stafford Loan, Plus Loan, Pell Grants, Perkins Loan Program, etc. UWest also offers institutional financial aid, such as scholarships, tuition waivers and work-study to students who qualify.
