INDIANAPOLIS-Aspiring nonprofit sector leaders and would-be professors soon can earn a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies through the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Center officials announced today.
The new graduate degree program was authorized today by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the final step in creating the program. The first doctoral candidates will begin their studies in fall 2004 at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), where the Center is headquartered.
"This advanced leadership degree is an important next step in building the field of philanthropic and nonprofit studies at Indiana University and at institutions across the country," said Gerald L. Bepko, interim president of Indiana University. "The Center and the university have long been at the forefront of bringing scholars and nonprofit professionals together to advance the study of philanthropy."
The new doctoral degree is designed to blend the expertise of practitioners and scholars to produce meaningful new contributions for the field. The intensive program will allow students to engage in in-depth examination of the most complex issues in philanthropy. It will emphasize original research by doctoral candidates designed to help build the knowledge base about philanthropy and develop solutions and information for issues facing nonprofits, foundations and communities.
"The number, reach and impact of nonprofit organizations is expanding and so is the demand for qualified professionals who have advanced degrees in philanthropy," said Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy. "We hope this new Ph.D. program will prepare thoughtful executives for the nonprofit sector and will enhance graduates' ability to compete successfully for top leadership positions nationally."
"We believe the program also ultimately will help supply professors and researchers to the growing number of colleges and universities that offer courses and conduct research in philanthropy and related topics," Tempel continued.
The program is expected to attract mid-career and senior-level nonprofit executives and research scholars who are seeking new challenges, as well as those who want to deepen their knowledge of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector or enhance their marketability.
The Center offered the nation's first Master of Arts program in Philanthropic Studies. It pioneered that unique academic discipline, which examines philanthropy from the liberal arts perspective and incorporates knowledge from professional schools. The Indiana University Philanthropic Studies program comprises nearly 60 faculty members in 21 academic departments, including business, economics, history, English, law, medicine, religious studies, nursing, sociology and public and environmental affairs.
"This is a milestone-the first Ph.D. program ever offered by our School of Liberal Arts," said Charles R. Bantz, chancellor of IUPUI. "Offering an advanced degree of this kind illustrates IUPUI's commitment to collaboration, civic engagement, and excellence in scholarship and teaching. That is what the 21st century urban university is all about."
The new doctoral program is believed to be the first traditional-format Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies in the United States and is among a small number of doctorate programs dedicated to philanthropy or nonprofit management nationwide. The organized study of philanthropy in higher education is relatively new, with most programs arising since the late 1980s. Some who earn this degree will be among a new generation of Ph.D.s specifically educated to teach and conduct research in Philanthropic Studies as a field of study in its own right, Center officials said.
"I have long believed that the Center on Philanthropy is one of the true gems of Indiana University," said P.A. Mack, a commissioner of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and former Indiana University trustee. "This Ph.D. program will allow IU and IUPUI to continue to provide leadership nationally and internationally in Philanthropic Studies."
A committee of faculty and staff developed the proposal and guided it through the university approval process. The development of the degree was led by Dwight Burlingame, associate executive director of the Center on Philanthropy and director of academic programs, and Debra Mesch, associate professor of Philanthropic Studies and public and environmental affairs and chair of the Philanthropic Studies faculty.
The 90-credit hour degree will include seminars in ethical, moral and religious aspects of philanthropy, historical and cultural perspectives, and the role of philanthropy and nonprofit organizations in society, as well as courses in research methods, an internship and a dissertation. Up to 30 credit hours of master's degree work may be applied toward the Ph.D. An integral part of the program is a minor concentration that will allow students to develop their particular areas of interest by drawing on the expertise of faculty in the other schools at IUPUI as well as IU Bloomington.
For more information about applying to the program, contact Charlie Johnson , Director of Student Services for the Center on Philanthropy, telephone (317) 684-8927.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.
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