Following seven years of development and growth in the area of
interfaith understanding, the Sylvia and Richard Kaufman Interfaith
Institute has moved to the Division of Inclusion and Equity.
Jesse Bernal, vice president for Inclusion and Equity, said that
the institute will allow the division to expand upon its work in
religious diversity and furthers the university's strategic plan to be
a more diverse and inclusive campus.
"Interfaith
dialogue and understanding, as well as religious tolerance, are more
important than ever in today’s world," said Bernal. "As part
of our framework for Inclusion and Equity at Grand Valley, the
division seeks to embrace diversity in its fullest sense and to
understand complex intersecting social identities and deepen our
university values for inclusiveness and community."
President Thomas J. Haas said this reorganization bolsters the goals
of the institute and Grand Valley to broaden campus interfaith
resources.
"Grand Valley's unique focus on interfaith
dialogue and understanding as a public institution embodies our vision
to be a model public university that provides an inclusive learning
environment, engages significantly in the community, and equips
students to be active, lifelong learners and global citizens,"
said Haas.
Douglas Kindschi, Kaufman Interfaith Institute
director, said the institute's move is a shift that will help advance
the mission of fostering greater interfaith understanding and
dialogue, especially on college campuses.
"The past few
years we have had a very busy and successful program in the community
and it is most appropriate for us to take the next step by working
more on the campus to promote the inclusion of all, regardless of
faith or philosophical commitment," he said.
In 2015,
the institute received a $50,000 grant from the Grand Rapids Community
Foundation to support interfaith efforts on local college campuses by
funding student interns. These internships provided students with
opportunities to develop their interfaith leadership skills so they
could apply them on their own campuses, and in the broader
community.
The grant also helped the institute expand an
interfaith service initiative that began in 2014. Through the
initiative, congregations around West Michigan participated in various
community service activities, including interfaith builds with Habitat
for Humanity, volunteering at food pantries in Grand Rapids, and
bringing renowned interfaith speakers to Grand Valley, such as Eboo
Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core.
The
GRCF grant was follow-up funding to a similar grant the institute
received for its 2012 Year of Interfaith Understanding, which saw a
year of more than 300 events take place, all with the central goal of
exploring commonalities and differences in the religions of the world.
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