University of the West

The University of the West 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 to its current location in 1996.

History

UWest is a private, non profit school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Although founded by a Buddhist organization, UWest is not a Buddhist college, which is a term typically used for monasteries or schools that train people for the monastic order.

UWest students are not required to subscribe to the Buddhist faith or practice Buddhism in any form. 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 Buddhism from across the world.

President

Dr. Allen M. Huang was installed as President of University of the West on June 28, 2007. Dr. Huang left the position of Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at University of Northern Colorado to take UWest's helm. Dr. Huang spent 29 years at UNC in many different capacities. His areas of specialization include leadership and management in higher education, development and management of grants and contracts, as well as issues and trends in special education. Dr. Huang is also editor of "New Waves: Educational Research and Development" and associate editor of "Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disorders." For more than 20 years, Dr. Huang has served on the National Council for Accreditation on Teacher Education and the U.S. Department of Education Grant Competition.

Dr. Huang graduated from Colorado State University with a post-doctoral degree in computer technology and education; and from the University of Alabama with an Ed.D. in special education.

Dr. Huang is the fifth UWest president. The first president of UWest was Venerable Master Hsing Yun, who founded the school in 1990. Venerable Hsing Yun was followed by presidents Nai-Chen Chen, Dr. Lewis Lancaster, Roger Schmidt and finally Dr. Allen Huang, who was installed as president on 8 July 2007.

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.

Academic programs

UWest currently offers degrees in the following majors:

*Bachelor's in Business Administration - with concentrations in Marketing; Accounting; Computer Information Systems; and International Business.

*Master's in Business Administration - with concentrations in Computer Information Systems; International Business; Finance; and Non Profit Organization Management.

*Executive MBA .

*Bachelor's in Religious Studies - with majors in Comparative Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies.

*Master's in Religious Studies - with concentrations in Comparative Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies.

*Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies with emphasis in Comparative Religious Studies and Buddhist Studies.

*Master of Divintiy

*Bachelor's in English.



*Bachelor's in Psychology.

*Master's in Psychology with concentrations in Buddhist psychology and multicultural counseling.

*UWest also has ongoing English as a Second Language program.

Enrollment

UWest enrollment stood at just over 252 students at the start of the Spring 2008 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, India, Sri Lanka, France, Germany, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Korea, Nepal and other countries.

Research centers

*The Center for the Study of Minority and Small Business
*The Institute for Advanced Research of Chinese Buddhism

Accreditation

UWest was accredited in February, 2006, by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges . 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.

Financial Aid

UWest is authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to disburse Federal 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 tuitionships to students who qualify.

Fo Guang Shan Universities

*Fo Guang University
*Nanhua University
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