He received his PhD from another US Ivy League university. I am copying this from his web site:
"He received a dual Ph.D. in sociology of culture and Islamic studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984."
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/mealac/faculty/dabashi/
Here is his information from Columbia's web site:
Hamid Dabashi Persian Literature and Sociology of Culture 610 Kent Hall 212-854-7524 hd14@columbia.edu Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
However, I thought that Columbia was receiving the revenue from the tuition and the endowments and very little came from government, which was the reason why I asked you a question about how much Columbia was receiving from the government in funds which was your main argument. I thought maybe you came across some financial data of Columbia University.
Columbia is a private University, so in general your comments are correct. However, most Middle-eastern studies programs are funded through grants from the US government. I have no better access to any specific financial information than you would.