CONWAY, Ark. (August 11,
2017) – Hendrix College Religious Life is restructuring to include greater
support for interfaith programming, with the naming of Dr. Robert Williamson, associate
professor of Religious Studies, as the first director of the Interfaith
Initiative at Hendrix.
“With the Interfaith
Initiative, we seek to bring people together in ways that encourage relationships
to develop organically,” says the Rev. J.J. Whitney, director of the Office of
Religious Life. “I’m confident that with Dr. Williamson’s leadership, we will
see even more growth in understanding among people of different faiths.”
Religious Life at Hendrix includes
the Office of the Chaplain; the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics, and
Calling; and the Interfaith Initiative. Whitney says having a staff member
dedicated to interfaith community at Hendrix will help Religious Life connect
with even more students.
“There’s a two-pronged
purpose to Religious Life at Hendrix: to help students dig deeply into their
own faith, and to promote interfaith work among different religious identities,
including students who are nonreligious,” she said.
While the Miller Center’s
programs are open to all students, its roots in the College’s relationship to
the United Methodist Church mean that some of its programs are specifically
designed for those from Christian backgrounds. “We really saw a need to have dedicated
leadership for interfaith work,” Whitney said. A common thread in Religious Life at Hendrix
is an emphasis on service, so all students, regardless of faith background, are
encouraged to find ways to come together to serve others.
The Interfaith Initiative,
together with the student group Hendrix Interfaith, will host a weekly Thursday
night interfaith meal focused on building appreciation and understanding among
students with a diversity of religious, spiritual, and philosophical
commitments. In addition, the Initiative will take a religiously diverse group
of students on a service-learning trip to a Muslim school in Belize, host a
regional interfaith conference including students from five area colleges, and
cosponsor an academic course on interfaith leadership with the Religious
Studies department. As part of the restructuring, the Service Scholars program,
which encourages students to make leadership through volunteer service a part
of their future, will move from the Miller Center to the Interfaith Initiative.
“After a year as the
director of the Miller Center, I’m excited to take on this new role with the
Interfaith Initiative,” said Williamson. “We have already laid the groundwork
for vibrant interfaith community through the work of the Miller Center and the
Chaplain’s Office. This new, dedicated program will position Hendrix to be a
national leader in interfaith work, particularly among United Methodist-related
colleges. At the start of the fall semester, our student leaders will be
participating in the Interfaith Leadership Institute, hosted by the Interfaith
Youth Core in Chicago. I look forward to the exciting things we will do
together to develop interfaith community in the years come.”
Williamson’s work has
already been recognized by Interfaith Youth Core (www.ifyc.org), which works with more
than 200 college and university campuses on five continents.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit
www.hendrix.edu.