Dr. Harkeerat Dhillon, Riverside Orthopedic Surgeon and Chair of the Campaign for Sikh Studies at UCR (left), Dr. Narinder Kapany, Sikh Foundation Chairman and Benefactor, (center), and Executive Vice Chancellor David Warren (right)
	Dean Patricia O’Brien (far-left), Gurdip Malik LA Area Businessman (left), Prof. Inderpal Grewal, UC Irvine Women’s Studies Director (center), Sohan Singh Chowdry, LA Area Businessman (right), and Bhajneet Singh Malik, LA Area Businessman (far-right)

Dean Patricia O'Brien hosted the Second Annual Meeting on Sikh Studies at the University of California in HMNSS 1500 on Wednesday, June 18, 2003. Three campuses of the UC system, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside have established Sikh Studies programs, largely due to the philanthropic contributions of the Sikh Foundation President Dr. Narinder Kapany. Dr. Kapany was instrumental in facilitating The Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies at UCR. The family of Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini, a Phoenix cardiologist, established the Chair in his memory.

Attendees included members of the board of the Sikh Foundation, Dr. Daniel Aldrich, Senior Counsel, UC Office of the President, Prof. Gurinder Singh Mann (UCSB), Prof. Mark Juergensmeyer (UCSB), Prof. David Goldberg (Humanities Research Institute, UCI); Prof. Inderpal Grewal (UCI), Prof. Kathleen Dhillon (UC Language Consortium, UC Davis), Prof. Joel Martin (UCR), Dr. Harkeerat Dhillon, Riverside physician and Chair of the UCR Campaign for Sikh Studies, and three LA Sikh businessmen, Mr. Gurdip Malik, Mr. Sohan Singh Chowdry, and Mr. Bhajneet Malik.

Executive Vice Chancellor David Warren opened the meeting with a welcome and an overview to the UCR campus and our goal of achieving excellence through diversity. Representatives from across the UC system presented reports on their programs in Sikh Studies. Professors Gurinder Singh Mann and Mark Juergensmeyer from UCSB delivered their presentation via a live high speed videoconference established between UC Santa Barbara and HMNSS 1500 in which all of the participants were able to view and speak to each other simultaneously. Dean Patricia O’Brien, and Chair of Religious Studies, Prof. Joel Martin reported on the progress and goals of The Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies.

Members from the Los Angeles area Sikh Community attended and are expected to provide assistance in raising additional funds to support the Sikh Studies programs. Dr. Harkeerat Dhillon, Chair of the Campaign for Sikh Studies at UCR, and a physician also participated. Dr. Dhillon, a donor, has been an active fundraiser for the endowed position at UCR.