Dr. Thom Wolf
DLitt (Grand Canyon University), PhD (Andrews University)
Professor, Global Studies, TWIGS; and Facilitator Professor, Certificate in Global Leadership, Andrews University
Dr. Thom Wolf is a life member of the Indian Sociological Society and the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations; a sustaining fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology; contributing editor of Forward Press, India’s first Hindi-English news magazine; and international consultant for The Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity (2 vols., Oxford University Press, 2012).
Research Focus: global education, Jotirao & Savitribai Phule, Baliraja, comparative civilizations, Mahayana Buddhism, and developing replicative leaders of integrity, compassion, and justice.
In India
Visiting Research Professor, National Institute of Social Work & Social Sciences (NISWASS), Bhubaneswar; Visiting Research Professor, Tirpude Institute of Management Education (TIME), RTM Nagpur University.
Chair, International Buddhist Practices Session, Bicentennial 2,550th Anniversary Commemoration of the Buddha, Bodh Gaya, India (2007, Government of India Ministry of Culture).
Author of “Mahayana Buddhism: Tipping Point Buddhism” in Mungekar (ed.), Buddhism and the 21st Century(Government of India & Nava Nalanda Mahavihara University, 2009).
(Tibetan translation by Chok Monlan PhD, the Dalai Lama’s translator, Dharamshala, India).
Campus lectures, faculty consultations, and educational, political, and community leadership consultations include:
Lucknow University, Kashmir University, St. Stephen’s College Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, BUCC Guru Nanak Dev University Punjab, Indian Social Institute New Delhi, Institute for Defense Studies & Analyses New Delhi, Indian Institute of Advanced Study Shimla, and Din Bandhu | Friend of the Poor Nagpur.
In the USA and the Americas
Visiting Professor, Global Leadership, Andrews University; Professor Facilitator, Certificate in Global Leadership, College of Education & International Services; previously International Fellow, Canyon Institute of Advanced Studies, Phoenix; and Research Fellow, Rinker Center for Experiential Learning, Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Lectures and campus speaking engagements include:
Indiana University, Baylor University, Kim School of Intercultural Studies, University of California Berkeley, Stanford University, Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Southern California, Arizona State University, California State University Los Angeles, University of California Los Angeles, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (USA); Tyndale University College Toronto and Urban Life International Vancouver (Canada); and Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (México).
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In Asia, the Middle East and Gulf States, and Europe
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Lectures on social change and development at:
Beijing Language & Culture University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kunming University (China); Chiang Mai University (Thailand); President’s Lecture, American University Dubai (UAE); Kabul University and Kateb University (Afghanistan); Quaid-i-Azam University and Iqra University Islamabad (Pakistan); Budget & Treasury Academy Moscow Ministry of Finance (Russia); and National University of Singapore.
Comparative Civilizations and Transformational Change
Selected Publications
The Global Conversation: EuroNAfricaMidEast (Prague, 2002)
“3 Challenges for 21st Century Buddhism” (International Buddhist Conference, 2005)
“Progress-Prone | Resistant Cultures: Phule’s Baliraja Proposal,” Lucknow University Journal of Social Work (2007)
India Progress-Prone (2008)
“Mahayana: Tipping Point Buddhism,” Govt of India & Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (2009)
Phule: In His Own Words (English, Hindi, and Marathi, 2011)
“Transhistorical Interview: Deissmann,” Lumina Journal (Philippines, 2011)
“Comenius & Savitribai Phule,” Journal of AC Leadership (2011)
Switzerland & Nepal (2012)
Articles Editor, The Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity (2 vols, Oxford University Press, 2012)
National Plenary Lecture, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Government of India (2014)
WV3 Geo Lifezones (2015)
“Development & the Indian Social System,” Comparative Civilizations Review (2016)
“Dr. Ambedkar’s J-Shaped Buddhism” (2016)
“India’s Education Problems: Phule’s Critique,” Indian Social Institute New Delhi (2018)
“Lack of Universal Education: The Indian Social System,” Religious Liberty & the Law | Applied Legal Philosophy Series, Routledge (2019)
“Resources & Researchers: Listening to Emic & Etic Voices,” Society for Applied Anthropology (2020)
“Another Dimension: The Moral Argument,” Critical Thinking in Religion Series, Routledge (2021)