Donation to Support Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University

Car dealer John Hawkins and the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association recently announced a donation of $20,000 to support graduate fellowships and enrichment programs for students pursing Masters degrees and PhDs in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University.

Hawkins has served on the volunteer Mormon Studies Council at Claremont Graduate University for several years.

The Council works closely with the Claremont Graduate University's Department of Religion to expand academic opportunities for those who want to study of the religious traditions descended from Joseph Smith, donors wrote in a news release.

“The study of Mormonism is meant to take its place alongside the scholarly study of many religious traditions in relation to one another,” donors wrote in a news release.

The Mormon Studies Council is comprised of LDS leaders, including academics, lay leaders and interested community members, and faculty from the School of Religion. It was formed in 2002.

Over the past several years the Council has raised sufficient funds to endow the Howard W. Hunter Chair in Mormon Studies. Professor Patrick Mason, who joined the CGU faculty in 2011 and now heads the University's Department of Religion, is the council’s chairman, according to the news release.

The Council now is helping to raise additional support for graduate fellowships and for enrichment programs such as lectures, conferences, and visiting professorships. The Mormon Studies program at CGU was the first graduate program in Mormon Studies in this country outside of the state of Utah, officials wrote.

Article courtesy of Bob Smith, Executive Director, Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association.