University of Hawaii

The University of Hawaii enters the account as the destination of a one-year academic appointment that Douglas Steere accepted despite Rufus Jones’s advice against it. The post offered more than a change of institution: Steere saw it as a way to move closer to the East and widen his understanding of its religious and philosophical traditions.

Appointment and Purpose

Steere accepted the position in part because it carried a larger salary, but his stated intellectual aim was to study Eastern religion and philosophy. He hoped to broaden his knowledge of the world and of other systems of thought. The appointment was for one year, making the University of Hawaii a defined period of study rather than a permanent destination in this account.

The Dissertation and Departure

The move intersected with Steere’s work at Harvard University. He hoped to defend his dissertation before leaving for Hawaii, but the faculty advised him to wait until his return. The planned appointment therefore carried an academic delay as well as an opportunity: his departure would precede the defense he had hoped to complete.

Place in Steere’s Intellectual Course

The evidence presents the University of Hawaii chiefly through the purpose Steere attached to the appointment. His interest in the post was linked to a desire for broader religious and philosophical understanding, while the advice from Rufus Jones and the postponed dissertation show that this choice involved competing counsel and obligations. The account establishes the plan and its rationale, but does not say what Steere ultimately studied there or what followed the appointment.