Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award Announcement

April 13, 2015

To: The Rutgers University Community

From: Richard L. Edwards, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Chancellor, Rutgers University–New Brunswick

Re: The Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award

It is my pleasure to inform you that Dr. James Turner Johnson, Distinguished Professor, Department of Religion, School of Arts and Sciences, has been named the 2015 recipient of the university’s Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award. I cordially invite you to attend the special award ceremony and lecture on Tuesday, September 29, at 5:00 p.m., in the Scholarly Communications Center Teleconference/Lecture Hall, Alexander Library, College Avenue Campus. Dr. Johnson will give a talk entitled “The Role of the Study of Religion in a Secular University and a Secular Society.” Immediately following the lecture, a reception will be held in Dr. Johnson’s honor.

The Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award was established in 1993 by the family, friends, and colleagues of Daniel Gorenstein to commemorate Professor Gorenstein’s innovative mathematical research, his skillful and enthusiastic exposition of his field, and his wise and devoted service to Rutgers University. The award was first presented in 1994 and is given each year to a Rutgers University faculty member noted for both outstanding scholarly achievement and exceptional service to the university. Dr. Johnson will be the 22nd recipient of this award.

Dr. James Turner Johnson is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Religion, School of Arts and Sciences. He is one of the world’s leading scholars on the intersection of religion and politics, particularly in relation to the traditions of just war and of jihad. His highly interdisciplinary scholarship provides expansive cultural and historical accounts on a broad range of issues, such as types of pacifism, comparison of different religion’s notions of holy war, development of international legal norms, and questions of political legitimacy. He has written 11 books, many of which are classics in the area of military ethics and just war theory, edited or co-edited six, and co-written one, and he has published numerous articles, chapters, and reviews. His work has been supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New Jersey Council on the Humanities, among others. He is frequently invited to present his work to diverse groups, from the American Academy of Religion to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Army War College. Dr. Johnson has been an exemplary citizen of the university, serving as department chair three times, as the university director of International Programs for a decade, and as a member of the Faculty Council and Senate. Among his many contributions to his profession, he served for 10 years as co-editor of the Journal of Military Ethics, a journal he was instrumental in establishing, and another 10 years as general editor of the Journal of Religious Ethics. Dr. Johnson is an experienced and inspirational teacher and a generous mentor both to students and junior faculty members.

I am delighted that Dr. Johnson has been selected as the recipient of the Daniel Gorenstein Memorial Award. He wholly represents the ideals of this singular recognition named in honor of a scholar and intellectual who made deep and lasting contributions to Rutgers and the world. I hope you will join me in congratulating Dr. Johnson at the lecture and reception. I look forward to seeing you at what will certainly prove to be a fascinating presentation and a wonderful university event.