Recently, the news on college campuses across the country has included reports of student protests, instances of Antisemitism and Islamophobia, and division and distrust that have created intense debate and unrest at many institutions. A few cases have even resulted in very high-profile departures (at Pennsylvania and Harvard), shaking the nation’s trust in higher education everywhere.
But at the University of Utah, where the Interfaith Initiative has been part of the work being performed by the division for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, leaders hope their efforts will help the campus to weather the storm and emerge even stronger. In fact, the university’s work on the interfaith initiative started long before many of the problems we are now seeing at other institutions nationally. And along with the Celebrating U Completely platform, the advance planning on interfaith strategies and events puts the U in a good position to handle national pressures.
That work continues this month as the Interfaith Initiative invites campus to participate in a series of events from Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) and Interfaith America. The goal of this initiative is to promote greater understanding, collaboration, and connection across different perspectives, identities, and backgrounds to rebuild the sense of community on campus. Leadership also aims to reinforce the public’s trust in higher education and create a stronger foundation for the future. University of Utah Impact Scholar, Eboo Patel, the president and founder of Interfaith America will be leading a number of conversations with different groups across the campus. These will include …
