Monroe Community College signed onto President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge in 2011, thereby making a pledge to initiate or expand opportunities for our students to participate in community service with a component of interfaith engagement. This challenge was based upon a simple idea: “across our country, campus religious and non-religious organizations will partner together or with local community organizations or houses of worship to tackle specific, year-long community service challenges.”
This model of interfaith programming is a departure from the usual dialogue-focused approaches that transpire at most campuses. It demands experiential and action oriented programming that create opportunities for people of different backgrounds to work together to impact real social issues in their community. The President acknowledged that our college campuses and students have always been great pioneers and incubators of change and consequently has challenged Americans institutions to respond to this emerging need.
“As religious diversity plays a growing role at local, national, and global levels, American colleges and universities are poised to engage this diversity in a way that fosters student development and shapes truly global citizens.” - U.S. Department of Education: The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge Inaugural Report
MCC responded yes to this challenge, committing to the year-long challenge of 2012 and to the enduring charge of developing interfaith engagement and community service at the College for years to come. The Global Education and International Services will be carrying this torch, but we will need your participation to realize the goals of this initiative. You can read more about the initiative here: https://www.ed.gov/edblogs/fbnp/presidents-campus-challenge/
Please stay tuned for programming and projects that are currently in development:
~ From the Land of Mt. Everest to the Streets of Rochester, NY: The Bhutanese-Nepalese Refugee Predicament
How Community & Interfaith Intervened to Help and How You Can Too
March 25th 12 - 1pm in the Warshof Conference Center, Flynn Campus Center (Monroe B)
~ Open discussion about prayer/interfaith space on-campus
TBA
Audra Dion
Global Education and International Services
03/18/2015 |