On March 12th, 2024, the Board of Regents approved the naming of our department in memory of Shyam Dev Patwardhan, a graduate of the department's undergraduate and graduate programs.
Shyam graduated from OU with a BA in philosophy in 2003, an MA in philosophy in 2006, and a PhD in philosophy in 2013.
His doctoral dissertation is titled "Trusting with skill: Testimony, reliability and epistemic justification." In it, he explores belief rooted in testimony and how the literature on testimonial justification does not adequately explain why testimony is usually reliable.
The naming of our department was made possible through a generous gift from the family of Shyam Patwardhan.
On October 4th, 2024, the department co-hosted a ceremony with the University of Oklahoma Foundation to commemorate the naming of our department.
Suhas Patwardhan
Wayne Riggs
Left to Right: Rusty Jones (chair), Suhas Patwardhan, Randall Hewes (Interim Dean of the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences)
