The nonprofit Interfaith America and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities has awarded three Hunter faculty member $25,000 to develop a plan furthering pluralism and diversity at the college.
Associate Provost Nicole Bennett, Professor of Social Work Vicki Lens, and Clinical Professor of Adolescent Special Education Gina Riley are being tasked with planning co-curricular, community based, and scholarly programming to complement Hunter’s pluralism and diversity curriculum.
The award underscores Hunter’s commitment to being an anchor institution, promoting civil discourse, relationship building among the diverse constituencies, and civic engagement in New York City. It also complements the strategic planning being undertaken by the administration of Hunter’s new president, Nancy Cantor.
For more than 150 years, Hunter has been one of the nation’s most diverse higher education institutions and one of its most effective engines of social mobility. Hunter always has leveraged its diversity in the pursuit of promoting intergroup understanding.
“At Hunter, we want to be seen as national leaders in best practices for pluralism,” said Bennett. “That means expanding and deepening the ways in which every aspect of what we do — our co-curricular opportunities, scholarship, research, creative activities, and community engaged practices — can espouse the value and act on the promise of this principle.”
The three Hunter faculty members bring diverse skills to the task.
Bennett, an accomplished chemist as well as administrator, focuses on expanding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education among underserved groups.
Lens, a lawyer and social worker, brings expertise about the courts, poverty, and social-welfare policy. As a senior faculty fellow of Hunter’s Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching, she has developed several workshop series to teach faculty how to stimulate dialogue in the classroom, make space for opposing views, and encourage critical thinking. She is a member of the Heterodox Academy, a national organization for advancing “open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement across higher education.”
Riley, an educational psychologist, is a member of Hunter’s General Education Requirements Committee and the chair of the Senate Committee on Academic Assessment and Evaluation. She was a longtime faculty fellow of the Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching.
This academic year, the Provost’s Office launched a series of discussions, “Promoting Civil Discourse & Intellectual Dialogue,” which was kicked off by the founder and president of Interfaith America, Eboo Patel. It covered an array of divisive topics while stressing respect for diverse identities, relationship-building across communities, and common action for the common good.
About Interfaith America
Interfaith America was founded in 2002 based on the idea that religious differences should serve as a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. Since that time, Interfaith America has evolved from a small Chicago-based nonprofit to the nation’s premier interfaith organization. Led by Founder and President Eboo Patel, Interfaith America inspires, equips, and connects leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. Using a research-backed approach, the organization works in higher education, health, corporate, bridgebuilding, civic fields.
About American Association of State Colleges and Universities
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities is the collective voice of 350 state colleges, universities, and systems united by a shared commitment to make affordable, high-quality education available to all students. Members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions’ economic progress and cultural development.
