Lopez to assume society chair

By Kevin Brown

Professor Donald Lopez, Jr. will serve as the next chair of the Michigan Society of Fellows, effective Jan. 1. He succeeds James Boyd White, who is stepping down after 18 years of service.

Lopez is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures in LSA.

"Professor Lopez is a brilliant and prolific scholar of Buddhist studies, who has transformed his field through imaginative approaches that re-examine and challenge traditional notions about Buddhist practices and beliefs," says Janet A. Weiss, dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and vice provost for academic affairs-graduate studies.

"I am confident that Don Lopez will be a creative, inclusive and effective chair of the Michigan Society of Fellows, and am grateful that he is willing to assume this new responsibility."

After receiving his doctorate from the University of Virginia in religious studies, Lopez became a faculty member at Middlebury (Vt.) College. He joined the U-M faculty in 1989, serving as chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures from 1998-2002 and as LSA associate dean for academic affairs from 2002-03.

"I look forward to upholding the tradition of scholarly excellence and collegiality that Jim established during his years as chair of the society," Lopez says.

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