Hindu University of America

Hindu University of America (HUA)^[1][2] is an unaccredited U.S. higher education institution based in Orlando, Florida.

History

The Hindu University of America was established in 1989. It was authorized by the State of Florida in 1993.^[3]

In 1993, Deen Dayal Khandelwal and his associates were described as founding in Florida a "'Hindu University of America' at which each student will be required to take several courses on the principles and practices of Hinduism and Sanskrit language to build a base upon which the student can design the spiritual input in his/her life."^[4]: 11

In 2002, the university was described by India Abroad as having been "up-and-running since 1993, teaching students in Hindu philosophy at a graduate level by correspondence,"^[5] with their course work "reviewed and accepted by Florida's State Board of Independent Colleges."^[5] The school was reported as "split into eight departments," religious studies and practices, yoga and meditation, languages, ayurvedic sciences, jyotish sciences, divine music, and Hindu philosophies. The Hindu philosophies department reportedly included courses on "Sufism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and a study of the Indian Diaspora," because, according to the university's then-president, Bhudev Sharma, "Sikhism, Islam, archaeology, comparative religion and Indian history... It is all Indian studies".^[5] At that time, the university's operating costs hovered "just under $300,000 a year".^[5] In 2002, the Orlando Sentinel also profiled the emerging university, quoting one of the university's directors as attributing inspiration for the university to the late Hindu Swami Tilak, who "suggested an institution of higher learning".^[6]

The university held its first convocation in 2004, awarding two degrees.^[7] At that time, the university was housed on a 10-acre site, with a neighbor in 2002 having donated an adjoining 2.5 acres, had a full- and part-time student body of 15 students in Orlando and "more than 45 others throughout the United States and India", with the university offering "both credit and non-credit courses, as well as online courses".^[7]

In 2007, the Hindu University of America was reported as having "about 120 students across the world",^[8] an "emphasis on distance education,"^[8] and offering degrees that included yoga, meditation, ayurveda, vedic philosophy, and music. The president of HUA from 2003 to 2006 was Kuldip Chandra Gupta, who was followed as president by T. R. Narasimha Rao.^[8]

In 2007, the sociologist Prema Ann Kurien described the university as a "milestone"^[9]: 51 in the "institutionalization of Hinduism"^[9]: 50 in the United States. She explained that work began

on the Hindu University of America in 1985, and the university was incorporated in Florida in 1989. Teaching activity began in 1993. By 2000 the university had acquired a permanent campus in Orlando, Florida, and most of the courses offered at the Orlando campus were also available by distance education. At a meeting in 2003, the board members decided to start a course to train priests to run Hindu temples in the United States.^[9]: 51

As of 2020, the university was headed by Prof Kalyan Vishwanathan, a former global practice director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)^[10]

In 2023, the university received a $1 million dollar donation, the largest in its history, from an Indian American businessman.^[3]

Academics

As of academic year 2019–2020, the university is not accredited.^[11]