SUNY Chancellor King Announces Grants to Furnish or Enhance Interfaith Prayer and Reflection Spaces on Campus
September 16, 2024
22 SUNY Campuses Receive Up to $6,000 Each to Provide Appropriate Interfaith Prayer, Reflection, and Meditation Spaces, and Create Interfaith Councils Comprised of Students, Faculty, and Staff
Summary of Campus Expansions is Available Here
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the allocation of more than $125,000 in grants to furnish or enhance interfaith prayer and reflection spaces at 22 SUNY campuses to help promote inclusivity and a welcoming environment for all students.
A summary of proposed campus expansions is available here.
"At SUNY, we value and celebrate our diversity, including religious diversity, as one of our system's greatest strengths, which is why we are ardently committed to ensuring students from all faith backgrounds have appropriate spaces for prayer and meditation,” said SUNY Chancellor King. "SUNY is committed to helping students from all backgrounds feel respected and seen. Last week I had the privilege of joining Binghamton University students for an interfaith Shabbat dinner, and it was a reminder of how public higher education has the unique power to bring students together while celebrating and learning about their different experiences, backgrounds, and beliefs.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "It is crucial to create dedicated and meaningful prayer and reflection spaces on our campuses to provide appropriate religious and spiritual spaces for all faiths and practices. A truly fertile learning environment allows for moments of spiritual comfort, provides spaces for immersion in faith, and fosters opportunities to grow in religious understanding. As such, we applaud SUNY's efforts to provide prayer and reflection spaces, as well as forming interfaith councils to ensure that SUNY is truly living out its promise to provide an inclusive, affordable education to all New Yorkers regardless of race, gender, or creed.”
Interfaith America Vice President of Higher Education Strategy Rebecca Russo said, "Seventy percent of incoming college students nationally say they are committed to bridging religious divides. Yet while over 60% of college students say that they spend time learning about racial, political, and gender diversity, less than 50% of those students report learning about religious diversity. In a time of deep national division, the SUNY system is investing in powerful learning opportunities to equip graduates with the skills to bring religiously diverse communities together. Interfaith America commends Chancellor King and the participating SUNY system schools for their commitment to engaging our foundational American strength of religious diversity."
Campuses receiving mini-grants up to $6,000 include: University at Albany, Alfred State College, Binghamton University, SUNY Brockport, University at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, SUNY Delhi, SUNY Erie, SUNY ESF, Farmingdale State College, SUNY Fredonia, Herkimer County Community College, Jefferson Community College, Monroe Community College, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY College of Optometry, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Purchase College, and Suffolk County Community College.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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