The University of Oklahoma recognized the Farzaneh Family for their generous gift that included a $4 million endowment and a new statue unveiled outside the building housing the College of International Studies. The Farzaneh family played an instrumental role in bringing this statue to campus and establishing OU’s new Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies. The Freestyle team was honored to be a part of this historic OU event and we are so proud of Vahid and his family.
President Boren addressed a large gathering of students, faculty and friends to announce this gift. President Boren stated, “this gift is the largest gift in the university’s history from those who came to OU as international students.”
The statue of Persian philosopher, Omar Khayyám, serves as a symbol on OU’s campus, bridging the gap between societies and cultures. It is President Boren’s hope that this statue will be a constant reminder of a university’s duty to broaden the horizons of young people.
The statue was created by famous sculptor, Hossein Fakhimi and is now placed outside the newly named, Farzaneh Hall, on Elm Avenue. Omar Khayyám was an 11th century poet, astronomer, scholar and mathematician and stood for friendship between cultures.
You can read OU’s full press release here.
Leave A Reply