Today, our Center for
the Study of Religious Freedom will sponsor an event entitled “Remembering
9/11: Rethinking Religion” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Center’s Office
Suite on the first floor of Clarke Hall. This event is a part of the Center’s
Food for Thought/ Soup on Friday Celebrations, which provide opportunities for
faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the broader community, to
come together for food and fellowship.
Last week I had the
opportunity to visit with Craig Wansink (Director) and Kelly Jackson
(Associate Director) of our Center for the Study of Religious
Freedom. I first met Craig during
the presidential search and was impressed by his passion for the mission and
purpose of Virginia Wesleyan College. As a graduate of a UMC-affiliated
residential liberal arts college, he "gets it." His service as a
Board member of his alma mater also provides him with a very good grasp of
important issues confronting private liberal arts colleges nationwide. Kelly,
as a Virginia Wesleyan alumna and the daughter of a United Methodist minister,
also understands the value of the liberal arts and the significance of our
United Methodist heritage.
During the transition
this spring, I read a good bit about the Center and through calls and meetings
learned from internal and external constituents of the high regard they have
for Craig, his Center colleagues, and the value of the program to Virginia
Wesleyan College.
According to the
Center’s Vision 2020: Through high-impact learning
experiences, the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom informs, transforms,
and equips individuals to be engaged leaders and citizens, as they increasingly
understand why religious freedom is a basic human right of daily significance.
The Center's Mission
is to:
- Inform: to provide students with an informed understanding of religious freedom as a basic human right;
- Transform: to engage in sustained high-impact learning experiences that shape perspectives on religious freedom;
- Equip: to teach the skills needed to recognize fundamental differences between people, to combat religious intolerance, and to find ways for society to mediate and work through substantive challenges to meaningful solutions.
As Craig and Kelly begin
their second academic year at the helm of the Center, a few initiatives that
advance this mission include facilitation training for students, a new
servant-leadership program, and a series of town hall events to engage the
campus and community in discussions about how to move beyond misunderstanding
associated with ethnic and religious differences to seek reconciliation and
find solutions to some of our most pressing social problems.
The mission and vision
of the Center are grounded in Virginia Wesleyan College’s commitment to a
rigorous liberal arts education and its United Methodist heritage. Through its
program initiatives, the Center seeks not only to educate minds, but also to
touch hearts, strengthening individuals to be agents of change and transforming
communities. The Center does not advocate any particular political or religious
perspective, but does stand for principles of dialogue, liberty, and engaged
citizenship.
On the Center website,
Craig states, "As we look into the future, we see the greatest
challenges that face the world as trans-religious. The goal of the Center is to
equip individuals to be leaders and citizens who understand how the
reconciliation of religious differences creates the most meaningful
opportunities for civil solutions to difficult and urgent problems."
The Center newsletter,
"Understanding Religious Freedom", is an enjoyable read:
I
encourage you to
learn more about the good work of the Center and attend their programs.
This is yet another unique program of our distinctive national liberal
arts
college that sets us apart.
