Finding a Home for Interfaith Work in Religiously Affiliated Colleges and Universities: Opportunities and Challenges

• In Event: 25.085 - Sheraton Roundtable One - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 25.085-7 - Advancing Diversity and Equity in the Context of Higher Education Organizations

Abstract

In this paper, we explore how faculty, staff, and administrators at sectarian institutions make meaning of interfaith learning and development in light of their college or university’s religious mission and identity. We employ a multiple case study approach to examine the campus climate for worldview diversity and interfaith engagement at three institutions situated within distinct Christian denominations and geographic regions of the U.S. Our research highlights the opportunities and challenges that arise when navigating matters of worldview diversity in a sectarian context. Findings illuminate the complex sensemaking of institutional stakeholders when it comes to determining who they are as an institution; they also highlight contextual factors that influence where and how interfaith work is occurring on different religiously-affiliated campuses.

Authors

• Shauna Morin, North Carolina State University

• Zak Foste, The University of Kansas

• Beth Ashley Staples, The Ohio State University - Columbus

• Mian Wu, North Carolina State University

• Matthew J. Mayhew, The Ohio State University

• Alyssa N. Rockenbach, North Carolina State University