SUPPORTING THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The mission of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee is to provide a high-quality program for the academic and non-confessional study of religion(s) in the state of Tennessee. In order to provide exciting and challenging opportunities for students as they move toward graduate education and professional careers, we have a variety of ways donors can support the Department. We are grateful to all those who have contributed to Religious Studies.
The Joan Nicoll Riedl Book Award supports a rising major in Religious Studies. The award is supported by the Joan Nicoll Riedl Endowment which honors Joan N. Riedl who was a secretary in the Department from 1976-2010. The fund to support this award was launched in 2010.
As part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2016-17, the Department launched a VOLstarter fund to help support undergraduate research and travel for majors and minors. To apply for research and/or travel funding (up to $500), consult with your Religious Studies faculty mentor or the Department Head.
The F. Stanley Lusby and John O. Hodges Teaching Award recognizes outstanding teaching efforts, particularly by junior faculty or lecturers, and can also be used to support undergraduate research travel expenses. The award is established in recognition of two of our emeritus colleagues whose own exceptional teaching laid the foundation for generations of teachers and students.
The Siddiqi Lecture in Islamic Studies was launched in 2014 to bring top scholars in the field of Islamic Studies to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and to foster a greater understanding of Islam in East Tennessee. We are grateful to our donors, Siddiqi Holdings of Knoxville, TN.
The Religious Studies Endowment Fund was established in honor of the Department’s 50th Anniversary in 2016-17 and is in memory and recognition of the faculty and staff that helped found and develop the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville beginning in 1966.
Please consider supporting The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies. It has allowed us to bring in guest lecturers to speak on a wide variety of topics from Israel to the Holocaust, to offer Hebrew language classes, provide student scholarships, and support faculty and student research.
The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies offers two scholarships: The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Scholarship in Judaic Studies and the Dr. Ruben P. Robinson Judaic Studies Scholarship.
The Religious Studies Endowment and the General Enrichment Fund
Please consider a gift to the Religious Studies Endowment or to the General Enrichment Fund. These funds can be used where the need is greatest, within the Department of Religious Studies. Its primary purpose has been used to support faculty research, student travel and research, and symposia.
Donors interested in making a contribution to the “Fund for the Study of Religion,” can make an online donation or make a check payable to the University of Tennessee Department of Religious Studies. Please indicate that the check is for the “Fund for the Study of Religion” or for “unrestricted” use by the department and mail it to the address below:
University of Tennessee
Department of Religious Studies
501 McClung Tower
Knoxville, TN 37996-0450
For further information on contributing to the Department of Religious Studies, please contact Helene Sinnreich at (865) 974-2466 or religiousstudies@utk.edu.