Patricia Snell Herzog will teach future philanthropy leaders and conduct research
Nationally esteemed philanthropy expert Patricia Snell Herzog, Ph.D., has been selected as the first scholar to hold the Melvin Simon Chair in Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis.
Beginning with the fall 2018 semester, Herzog will teach and conduct cutting-edge research at the school to educate future philanthropy and nonprofit leaders and to increase the understanding and impact of philanthropy. An associate professor of philanthropic studies, she currently teaches an undergraduate course on philanthropy and the social sciences, which introduces students to the approaches that disciplines such as sociology and data science bring to the study of philanthropy and its role in promoting social justice and civil society, including intersections with important social issues, such as race, class, gender, youth and religion.
“Professor Herzog is a terrifically dynamic scholar and intellectual collaborator whose innovative inquiries into faith, youth and generosity will resonate with our faculty, our students, and practitioners, including our alumni,” said Amir Pasic, Ph.D., the Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school. “We are thrilled to welcome her as the inaugural Melvin Simon Chair. She will be a significant addition to our community and will build upon her numerous meaningful contributions to our field.”
Herzog’s interests include charitable giving, youth and emerging adults, and religiosity. Her research focuses on how people are shaped by and shape their organizational contexts, with particular emphasis on understanding voluntary participation in religious and charitable organizations, as well as generational changes in organizational values.
With the rise in availability of, and organizational attention to, so-called big data, Herzog is also interested in the social impact of data analytics, including philanthropy analytics and ethical decision-making in data-informed practices.
“I am thrilled to join many wonderful colleagues in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In assuming the role of the Melvin Simon Chair, I am inspired by the gift’s philanthropist, Cynthia Simon Skjodt, who says her father inspired her to have pride in her community and to contribute to the wellbeing of others through gifts of money, time and attention. I plan to embody the spirit of this gift through my research that attends to motivations for charitable giving, including children learning to give from their parents,” Herzog said.
“I am also excited to teach burgeoning philanthropists through undergraduate and graduate courses. The reputation of the esteemed alumni of the school is part of what drew me to IU Indianapolis, and I am looking forward to aiding students in gaining a sociological and organizational perspective in their studies of philanthropy.”
The endowed chair Herzog holds was created by a gift to the school from philanthropist, community leader and Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Board of Visitors member Cynthia Simon Skjodt in honor of her father. Melvin Simon, co-founder and co-chairman of Simon Property Group, was an acclaimed philanthropy leader in Indiana and around the nation.
“My father placed great value on both education and philanthropy, and he would be as pleased as I am that such an accomplished, thoughtful scholar holds the chair that bears his name,” Skjodt said. “I look forward to seeing the advances in research and the new generations of philanthropy professionals who will be well prepared to serve others as a result of Dr. Herzog’s work.”
Herzog previously was associate professor of sociology and co-director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Arkansas. She earned her doctoral degree in sociology at the University of Notre Dame, while also serving as the assistant director for its Center for the Study of Religion and Society. She subsequently was a postdoctoral fellow with Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
“A diverse background in her formal education and in her teaching and research interests makes Dr. Herzog an excellent, complementary addition to our growing faculty,” said Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., executive associate dean of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “With eight published books, she is an award-winning author who has covered topics ranging from religious participation and religious giving, to parenting, youth and emerging adults to social theory. She has also been quite successful in earning grant funding for her research.”
Herzog’s scholarship has won multiple awards and grants, including the Distinguished Article award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Lilly Fellows Book Award for Souls in Transition: The Religious Lives of Emerging Adults in America (Smith and Snell 2009, Oxford University Press), and grant awards totaling more than $10 million from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc. and the John Templeton Foundation.
With a commitment to outreach, Herzog has delivered numerous research-related talks to a variety of organizational audiences, and her research has received media attention from The New York Times, CNBC, ABC News, Seattle Times, The Atlantic, The Foundation Review, Philanthropy News Digest, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Nonprofit Times, and NPR.
About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis 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 in the world. 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, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute and the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy and “Like” us on Facebook.