Dr. Frances Sweeney, vice president for mission at Saint Mary's College of California
“Imagine a quilt,” said panelist Dr. Frances Sweeney, vice president for mission at Saint Mary’s College of California. “For us, interfaith cooperation is an essential thread in that quilt when we talk about the fullness of student identity and of student development. It’s that sense of wonder and wholeness that we need when we teach students to think about respect for themselves and one another.”
The webinar was hosted by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)’s Institute on Teaching and Learning for Campus-wide Interfaith Excellence cohorts. AAC&U is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing undergraduate liberal education. IFYC is a nonprofit organization that partners with higher education institutions and corporations to enhance interfaith cooperation.
The discussion was led by Dr. Janett I. Cordovés, director of higher education partnerships at IFYC, and Dr. Dawn M. Whitehead, vice president of the office of global citizenship for campus, community, and careers at AAC&U.
Sweeney spoke about working on interfaith cooperation at a religious institution given Saint Mary’s College is a Catholic liberal arts school. She said that embracing religious diversity is even more critical at a religious institution because of its commitment to students’ “holistic development.”
“For me, the intersectionality of identity is the most important part to understand ourselves as full human beings,” she said.
Dr. Dawn M. Whitehead is vice president of the office of global citizenship for campus, community, and careers at AAC&U.
Sweeney has been working with faculty to audit their curriculum for where interfaith cooperation could play a larger role.
