Endowed Programs

The faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech are fortunate to continue to benefit from the generosity of alumni and friends. Such gifts allow us to continue our unique and cutting-edge research, teaching, and outreach missions – endeavoring to embody the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (“That I May Serve”). If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.

The Department of Religion & Culture is pleased to be the future home of the Monsignor Chester Michael Professorship in Catholic Studies, funded by a generous gift of Steve and Carol Ham. See more about that gift and its vision here.

Thanks to a generous gift from Malcolm and Diane Rosenberg, the Dept. of Religion & Culture is privileged to house the university’s Program in Judaic Studies. This involves an academic minor for interested students, regular course offerings, and world-class events. See photos and information about a selection of past events here. Most recently, in early 2020 we hosted Israeli singer-songwriter-rapper Victoria Hanna, and in late 2020 our faculty hosted a conversation between authors Etgar Keret and Sayed Kashua.  Please get in touch if you’d like to learn more. 

The Hammond Lectureship in Religious Ethics and Society was endowed by an anonymous donor in 1995 to honor Guy B. Hammond, who retired in that year, after 38 years of service at Virginia Tech, having served as head of two academic units in the College of Arts and Sciences (the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Department of Religion) and transition leader of a third (the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies). Dr. Hammond's scholarly interests and accomplishments are represented in his three books: two on the Protestant theologian Paul Tillich (Man in Estrangement and The Power of Self-Transcendence: An Introduction to the Systematic Theology of Paul Tillich) and a third more broadly in the field of religious ethics and society (Conscience and its Recovery: From The Frankfurt School to Feminism). The Hammond Lecturer gives a public address and meets with faculty and students in classes and workshops during a two-day campus visit.