Farzaneh Hall

Farzaneh Hall. . , In 2016, historic Hester Hall, home of the Boren College of International Studies, officially became Farzaneh Hall because of the generous support of Mohammad Farzaneh and Jalal Farzaneh and the Farzaneh Family Foundation. Brothers, Mohammad Farzaneh and Jalal Farzaneh came to Oklahoma from Iran in 1978 to study architecture at the University of Oklahoma. After Mohammad and Jalal earned their bachelors' and masters' degrees from the University of Oklahoma, they went on to found Home Creations and become successful Oklahoma entrepreneurs. , With lead gifts to the College, the Farzanehs have become the most generous international students in the history of the University of Oklahoma. Their gifts helped establish the new Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies, scholarships for students and for students studying Persian language, five endowed professorships, an endowed lectureship and a prize for Iranian literature. Together they also created a fund to endow a Persian book collection and Persian artwork. , This building, originally Hester Hall, was constructed in 1925 and named for a prominent woman in Oklahoma history. Hester Hall was one of the first dormitories constructed by the university, but it was only open to women. , Elizabeth Jane Hester moved to Indian Territory as a missionary to the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations in the mid-1850s after receiving a formal education at a seminary in Georgia. During the Civil War, she converted her husband's successful dry goods store into a hospital, where she personally helped care for wounded soldiers. After the war, Elizabeth Hester continued to work as a missionary and an educator until her death in 1928. , The Boren College of International Studies, established in 2011, includes the Department of International and Area Studies, the Office of Education Abroad, the Office of International Student Services, several international research centers, and offices supporting the OU study centers around the world.