Award-winning researcher will expand understanding of global philanthropy, increase international engagement in Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy role
Noted global philanthropy researcher Pamala Wiepking, Ph.D., is the first scholar selected to hold an endowed chair at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI that is dedicated to increasing knowledge on international philanthropy.
Wiepking will be the inaugural Visiting Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy and visiting associate professor of philanthropic studies at the school. Until last month, she held an assistant professor position at Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
“Philanthropy plays valuable roles in every country and culture,” said Amir Pasic, Ph.D., the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school. “At a time when philanthropy is increasingly international, deepening understanding of the ways it is practiced within and across cultures is necessary to address the world’s most pressing issues. Dr. Wiepking is one of the foremost scholars in this arena, and we are pleased that she has chosen to join us in this endeavor.”
In her new role, Wiepking will conduct original research, translate new knowledge into improvements in the practice of international philanthropy and educate new philanthropic leaders for the international arena. Beginning with the fall 2018 semester, she will teach courses in international philanthropy and fundraising. She is a member of the advisory board for the school’s Global Philanthropy Indices initiative, which recently released its first report, and a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute research committee at the school.
“For me, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has always been the top place in the world to study philanthropy. I am very excited to join in the school’s mission to improve philanthropy to improve the world,” Wiepking said. “As the Visiting Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy I look forward to working with all the wonderful scholars and students affiliated with the school and with researchers from all over the world. From different cultural and disciplinary perspectives we will together further the knowledge on global philanthropy, and with that knowledge we will help to create more generous societies. I am very thankful to the Stead family for providing this great opportunity to advance the study of global philanthropy, and to the leadership of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy for their trust in me to advance the study of global philanthropy at their school.”
Focusing on research that strengthens cross-national understanding of philanthropy and fundraising, Wiepking has received several prestigious awards from top scholarly and professional organizations. She is the recipient of the 2017 UMD SPP Do Good Institute-ARNOVA Award for Global Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership for her leadership in international philanthropy and nonprofit research. She earned the 2016 Association of Fundraising Professionals Emerging Scholar Award for outstanding scholarship related to philanthropy and fundraising. She also is co-editor of the Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy, which won the 2016 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize awarded by ARNOVA, the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.
The Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy generates opportunities for new global partnerships and helps ensure that the school is at the forefront of the study of international philanthropy. It attracts top scholars, students and professionals interested in philanthropy around the world, and is a gift from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead and their family. Stead is a lifetime member of the school’s Board of Visitors.
“We support great talent in achieving great things, and look forward to the excellent research and teaching that this chair will enable,” Jerre and Mary Joy Stead said.
Wiepking is a board member of Nederland Filantropieland (the former Dutch Fundraising Institute, IF) which allows her to incorporate academic research on philanthropy into the work of philanthropy professionals to help them do their jobs better. She is one of the founding members of the European Research Network on Philanthropy and the Center for Global Generosity.
Together with other researchers, Wiepking has published on philanthropic behavior in–among others–Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Voluntas, Social Forces, European Sociological Review, and Social Science Research. She is a member of the editorial board for the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly and the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing. She earned her Ph.D. in philanthropic studies from VU University Amsterdam and her master’s of science in sociology at Utrecht University, both in The Netherlands.
“Dr. Wiepking is a thoughtful, prolific scholar who is involved in several international collaborative research projects and brings insightful perspectives to the study of this field,” said Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., executive associate dean for academic programs at the school. “Our many previous collaborations with her have been highly successful, and we are happy to now be able to work more closely with her on a regular basis.”
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has been teaching and learning about philanthropy around the world since its founding in 1987. Its international partnerships, teaching and research have grown exponentially in recent years.
About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter or “Like” us on Facebook.