The ultimate decision about who to hire for the chair will be made by the university search committee, with input from the council and the foundation. That person will become a full-time, tenured faculty member at Claremont, "and will be expected to function like any other faculty member." The post was designed to "make sure the teaching and research done is legitimate academic research, and not something in support of the LDS Church's mission," Mauss said.

In addition to the LDS archives, the scholar will have access to the nearby Huntington Library in Southern California, which also has a large collection of LDS documents. Mauss anticipates the chair will be a positive signal to interested scholars, who have been concerned about finding a neutral venue in which to pursue such topics.

Organizers hope to raise $6 million for the endowed chair, which would provide funding for the post in perpetuity, Mauss said. Because the Hunter Foundation has yet to receive official recognition from the state as a tax-exempt organization, initial donations should be sent to the Claremont Graduate School of Religion, in care of Dean Karen Torjesen, and earmarked specifically for the Howard W. Hunter Chair, he said.

Utah State University has expressed interest in creating a venue for religious studies and endowing a similar chair in Mormon studies, but has yet to announce a timeline or other details. Past attempts to establish a formal program for Mormon studies at Utah Valley State College have met with community resistance. -->

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