A Message from the President

I join in welcoming you to Drew University’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict.  At the heart of our vision for the CRCC lie three ambitious objectives.  First, we expect that the Center will contribute significantly to useful knowledge and understanding of the many complex ways in which cultures and religions interact – both peacefully and when in conflict.  Whether the issue is terrorism and religion; global response to a controversial speech by a pope or the publication of cartoons defaming a prophet; Buddhist monks protesting for democracy; the relationship of religion and modern science in complex ethical questions; or the religious commitments of American political candidates, the intersection of religion and culture is critical in shaping the contemporary world.  By fostering interdisciplinary research and scholarly exchange, the Center aims to enhance knowledge of the many complicated ways in which religion and culture meet.

A second ambition for the CRCC is that it provide important opportunities for interaction and partnership with the broader community in which Drew is located.  The Center is not only to be a place where scholars from many disciplines come together to consider the junctures of religion and culture, it will also be a place where the university connects with its own wider community.  Within a fifty mile radius of Drew’s campus is located what is probably the most culturally and religiously diverse pieces of real estate on the planet.  We are blessed by this rich diversity and we hope to engage it in positive ways.  A genuine partnership with the broader community is what we seek, and we look forward to working together to identify, develop, and support meaningful programs and activities.

Our third goal for the Center is that it not merely become another academic think tank, but that it also develop and implement model projects that move us beyond understanding the world and involve ways of improving it.  These projects will offer Drew students practical hands-on experience negotiating the problematic boundaries where cultures and religions meet.   This is precisely the sort of engaged civic learning that we are working hard to build more broadly at Drew, and I’m pleased that it’s also integral to the Center’s mission.

Thank you for your interest in the CRCC and we hope you will participate in its programs.