After teaching for 40 years, I retired officially in summer, 2009.  Since then, I have been teaching half-time, and I will remain the Tamil Chair holder until summer, 2011. Fortunately, the University has agreed to replace the Tamil professorial position, with the search for a new professor to take place in the academic year of 2011-12, and the new professor to begin teaching in fall, 2012.  Those involved in raising the funds for the Tamil Chair at Berkeley will remember that one of our chief aims was to insure that Tamil program at Berkeley would continue forever.  The Tamil Chair endowment and the support of the California Tamil community were critical factors in persuading the University to replace the Tamil position in spite of the difficult fiscal environment.  All of us who love Tamil are grateful to the local Tamil community for their continuing support and for endowing the Tamil Chair.  The endowment, originally $400,000, is now worth $800,000, and it will remain as an indispensable part of the Berkeley Tamil program in perpetuity.

– George Hart