Soropa Blog

First Ph.D. in Philanthropic StudiesThe United States is well-known for its robust philanthropic outreach programs. It seems mildly ironic and surprising then that the first recipient of a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies is not American, but Chinese. Yue (Jen) Shang, a resident of Beijing, took up her Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. Eventually, she will soon enter the ranks of the institution’s faculty and help educate fund raisers and officials of non-profit organizations about donor behavior and other aspects of philanthropic drives, including fundraising, nonprofit marketing, and how to refine the giving decisions of officials of nonprofit organizations. Shang, who was funded by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation and who delved into the study of why nonprofit organizations and individuals reach out, has commented that she has plans to return to China and do research on the psychological aspects of philanthropy there — specifically motivations for donating and the aspects that influence such actions. Yue Shang is one of the 10 foreign students who enrolled in the Ph.D. program, which commenced back in 2004. The other students hail from Taiwan, Germany, Ghana, China, Latvia, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea. She was honored at a hooding ceremony last May 10 at the Center on Philanthropy in Indianapolis.