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College of Humanities Launches Center for Buddhist Studies

by Eric Swedlund

he University of Arizona’s new Center
Tfor Buddhist Studies in the College of
Humanities will create a research hub to
explore the religious, intellectual, social,
cultural and textual traditions of the world’s
fourth-largest faith.
With Buddhist traditions becoming
more familiar and practitioners growing
more common in the U.S., the UA will draw
on existing faculty expertise in East Asian
studies and religious studies to promote
academic research on the Buddhist tradition.
Jiang Wu, director of the center and
a professor of East Asian studies, teaches
Chinese thought and religion as well as
classical Chinese. He is an expert on Chinese / Sean Dephicer photo
Zen Buddhism of the 17th century and the
Chinese Buddhist canon. Albert Welter, the With its expansive and multidisciplinary special place for religions. We have this
East Asian studies department head, is an research in the humanities — as well as vast landscape and the immediate feel
expert in Chinese Zen Buddhism as well, the landscape of Tucson and the Sonoran here is very relaxed.”
although his research focuses on earlier Desert — the UA College of Humanities has Retreat and meditation centers are
traditions, from the ninth to 13th centuries. the potential to become a national leader in common in the desert, and the rich native
“With two specialists in this field, we Buddhist studies, Wu says. traditions of the region have connections
are very, very strong,” Wu says. “In North “Why here? Regionally speaking, there and similarities with Buddhism that Wu is
America, there is nowhere else with two is no center for Buddhist studies in the interested in exploring further.
specialists in Chinese Zen Buddhism.” Southwest,” Wu says. “Tucson is a very

Restoration Honors
UA Alumnus

he Pima Air & Space Museum is
Trestoring a Curtiss P-40E-1 Warhawk,
a World War II fighter aircraft. The plane
is from the 49th Fighter Group, 9th Fighter
Squadron, Papua New Guinea, 1942.
Sidney S. Woods ’39, a quarterback for
the University of Arizona football team
from 1935-39, was the aircraft’s regular
pilot. The Alumni Association honored
Woods by naming an award for him in 1941.
The Sidney S. Woods Alumni Service Award
is given to an alumnus or alumna who has
demonstrated unwavering interest in and
loyalty to the UA.
After his decorated military career,
Artist Sharon Hesterlee works on recreating the Woods became prominent in the field of
original “Arizona” nose art on the Curtiss P-40E-1 agriculture and also was a member of the
Warhawk. / Chris Richards photo
Arizona Board of Regents.

14 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE