The Punjabi Studies Program began in 1998, and on May 9, 2008, the University and the Northern California Punjabi community celebrated the enduring success of the program with a Gala Dinner that announced the formation of the Guru Nanak Heritage Institute for Punjabi Studies. This event also inaugurated an increased commitment from the University to support Punjabi language courses. I am extremely grateful to Provost Carmen Sigler for her continued commitment to a program that began a decade ago when, as Chair for the Department of Foreign Languages, she enabled Punjabi Studies to enter the curriculum of our University.
No other University outside of India offers more comprehensive instruction in the Punjabi language than San Jose State University. With the establishment of the Institute, the program will offer more than language courses. It sponsors cultural activities, forums, symposia, and research projects dedicated to different facets of the Punjabi heritage.
The Punjabi Studies Program has prospered in large part because of strong support from Northern California Punjabis, particularly the Sikh community, through an advisory council, the Punjabi Studies Funding Support, under the inspired leadership of Dr. Mahinder S. Madan. Working with the community and Dr. Madan has been one of the most exciting adventures of my academic career. But the program does not exist because of the generosity of a single individual, as is often the case with programs dependent on external funding. It is the result of many people contributing to a unifying goal, which is consciousness of the Punjabi heritage. This heritage integrates diverse strands of religious, political, intellectual, and artistic history. Unique to the program is a freedom from any dominant sectarian or political perspective defining the heritage.
The Guru Nanak Heritage Institute for Punjabi Studieshas been established to transform the existing Punjabi Studies Program into a more comprehensive and multifaceted operation with the goal of becoming an international center of Punjabi Studies. Included in this transformation will be efforts directed to;
1) supporting research of the Punjabi cultural heritage and language,
2) implementation of a study abroad and faculty/student exchange program,
3) introduction of exhibits or venues that promote greater awareness of Punjabi language, literature, folklore, music, culture, religion, art, architecture and sports,
4) offering enhanced Punjabi conferences/workshops and interfaith lecture series,
5) enhancement of distance learning opportunities for Punjabi heritage students,
6) development of a web site that functions as a global resource for Punjabi culture, and
7) intensification of outreach efforts that will amplify external funding for the Institute and the endowment, and
8) application for General Education (GE) certification of Punjabi courses.
Guided by these goals, I anticipate the program and the Institute will attract an increasingly diverse audience for its courses and activities. But the governing goal is to make the University an internationally recognized resource for the Punjabi heritage and to integrate the Punjabi heritage into American culture. This is therefore a wonderful moment in the history of American universities!
Karl Toepfer, Dean
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Professor Atamjit Singh
Punjabi Lecturer
Clark Hall 410E
(408) 924-4622
atam84@hotmail.com
Pummy Dhanjal-Sehmbey
Punjabi Coordinator
Clark Hall 410K
(408) 924-4068
Pummy.Dhanjal-Sehmbey@sjsu.edu
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