Kaufman Interfaith Institute
History of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute
History of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute
The Sylvia and Richard Kaufman Interfaith Institute is committed to facilitating greater interfaith understanding and mutual acceptance. The Institute is housed at Grand Valley State University but works in cooperation with the West Michigan Academic Consortium, which now includes nine colleges and universities.
Sylvia Kaufman initiated the first community dialogue in West Michigan on interfaith issues through the former West Shore Committee for Jewish and Christian Dialogue in 1989. Since then, hundreds of scholars, clergy, community members and students from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths have come together triannually for the Interfaith Dialogue Conference.
In 2001, Sylvia organized a group of six academic institutions, forming the West Michigan Academic Consortium. Each year, the Consortium plans a program that features a single speaker, providing the communtiy with an interfaith event between the Interfaith Dialogue Conferences.
In honor of Sylvia Kaufman's decades of committment to promoting understanding among faiths, the Sylvia and Richard Kaufman Interfaith Institute was created in 2007 at Grand Valley State University. As of 2011, the West Michigan Academic Consortium consists of nine colleges and universities.
Director and Co-Chair Dr. P. Douglas Kindschi
Founder and Co-Chair Sylvia Kaufman
Program Manager Whitney Belprez
Advisory Board
| Alan Alpert | Ali Metwalli | Aly Mageed | Brent Slay |
| Chris Anderson | Daniel Hurwitz | David Baak | Debra Mageed |
| Diane Purgiel | Don Lubbers | Douglas Howard | Frans van Liere |
| Fred Stella | Greg Kaufman | Jeff Padnos | Jessie Dalman |
| Kay Ostrom | Maribeth Wardrop | Marilyn Titche | Mark Murray |
| Michael Schadick | Mike Presant | Petra Alsoofy | Riley Jensen |
| Scott Devon | Stephen Rowe | Valerie Eggert | Yousif Hamati |
Page last modified November 7, 2011
