Jan Willis facts for kids

Janice Dean Willis, often called Jan Willis, was born in 1948. She is a respected American professor and writer. She taught religion at Wesleyan University from 1977 to 2013. She is well-known for her books about Tibetan Buddhism, a special kind of Buddhism from Tibet.

Big magazines like Time Magazine and Newsweek have said she is very influential. Ebony Magazine also featured her. In 2011, Aetna Inc. honored Professor Willis. They included her in their African American History Calendar. She was one of thirteen important leaders in faith-based health efforts in the United States. After leaving Wesleyan, she also taught part-time at Agnes Scott College from 2014 to 2020.

Early Life and Education

Jan Willis grew up in Docena, Alabama, near the city of Birmingham. Her father was a steelworker and a deacon at their Baptist Church.

In the early 1970s, Jan traveled through Asia. There, she met and became a student of a Tibetan lama named Thubten Yeshe. A lama is a spiritual teacher in Tibetan Buddhism. He encouraged her to continue her studies.

She earned two degrees in philosophy from Cornell University. Later, she received her Ph.D. from Columbia University. Her advanced degree was in Indic and Buddhist Studies. This means she studied the languages, cultures, and religions of India and Buddhism.

Her Work and Influence

Since 2006, Jan Willis has written for a group blog called On Faith. This blog is sponsored by Newsweek and the Washington Post. She shared her ideas alongside other famous people. These included Elie Wiesel, Desmond Tutu, and Madeleine Albright.

In 2003, Wesleyan University gave her a special award. It was called the Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. This award recognized her amazing work as a teacher.