LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Elie Wiesel will be teaching at a Southern California university that features a large bronze bust of the Nobel laureate at its library entrance.
The Holocaust survivor and author was named a distinguished presidential fellow at Chapman University, a private institution founded by devout Christians. Chapman President Jim Doti made the announcement Aug. 25.
Wiesel, a New York resident and professor of humanities at Boston University, will take up temporary residence in Southern California next spring and in each of the following four years to teach at Chapman.
Chapman officials have not yet finalized the extent of his duties or length of stay. However, he is expected to interact extensively with faculty at the university’s Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education and with students in Chapman’s three Holocaust courses and related classes, Chapman spokeswoman Mary Platt said.
According to a Chapman news release, Wiesel noted that "On my two visits to Chapman University I was profoundly impressed by the quality of the students and faculty … and by the way the university is teaching and remembering some of the most tragic events in human history, events that have had such a deep influence upon my life."
Chapman is located in Orange, some 45 miles south of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1861 by members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). During the 1920s, while located in Los Angeles, it was known as the California Christian College.
Wiesel, the author of "Night" and 50 other books, first visited Chapman five years ago to participate in the dedication of the university’s Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Memorial Library. On the occasion, the university unveiled the Wiesel bust.
