Posted: Wednesday, May 3, 2017

University of Evansville chaplain and director of religious life Tammy Gieselman has been selected from a competitive, national pool of nominees to participate in a faculty seminar on teaching interfaith understanding.

The seminar is offered by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), with support from the Henry Luce Foundation. 

Twenty-five faculty members will participate in this seminar, set for June 18–22 at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. It will be led by leading scholars Eboo Patel, founder and president of IFYC, a Chicago-based organization building the interfaith movement on college campuses; and Laurie Patton, president of Middlebury College and former dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences and the Robert F. Durden Professor of Religion at Duke University. The program aims to broaden faculty members’ knowledge and strengthen their teaching of interfaith understanding with the development of new courses and resources.

“Strengthening the teaching of interfaith understanding at colleges and universities is a priority at a time when college enrollment - and American society - is becoming more diverse. Strengthening participation in American life with greater understanding of the distinctive contributions of different faiths is key to America’s future success as a democracy,” said CIC president Richard Ekman.

Commenting on Gieselman’s selection to the seminar, UE executive vice president for academic affairs Michael Austin noted that she “has been a passionate advocate for interfaith understanding on our campus and has overseen a concerted effort to make the University of Evansville a welcoming environment for students of all faiths. She has a passion to help people of all faiths understand each other better. This is not something she does because it is her job; it is a job that she does because of who she is.”

For more information, visit www.cic.edu/TeachingInterfaith.

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