In June 2025, Interfaith America and the American Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) hosted the 2025 Presidents Institute Moral Leadership for a Diverse Campus in Chicago. Seventeen presidents from Catholic institutions across the country convened for a three-day institute that invited them into active reflection and leadership development at the intersection of mission, diversity, and moral courage.
The opening session included a session on the Catholic Ethic of Pluralism with Interfaith America founder and president, Eboo Patel and a reception featuring remarks from IA’s CEO Adam Phillips extended those conversations from other speakers through dialogue on Catholic mission, interfaith leadership and the public good. The institute equipped presidents to return to their campuses with renewed clarity and practical next steps. Coming out of the convening, participating institutions were invited to build on their president’s demonstrated commitment to pluralism by applying for newly offered implementation grants.
Through those grants, campuses across the country are training student leaders to facilitate interfaith dialogue and programming with an emphasis on creating sustainable change.
At Ursuline College, the “Sacred Stories: Navigating Faith in a Changing World” initiative will prepare Interfaith Student Ambassadors to lead monthly events, dialogues, and service projects that culminate in an interfaith festival promoting understanding and collaboration across religions.
The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota is expanding Peace Meals and implementing a two-phase Bridging the Gap/Viewpoints leadership program to equip students to deliver peer-led workshops and public events on healthy disagreement rooted in Catholic mission. Director of the Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies at the University of St. Thomas, Hans Gustafson states, “the program activities funded by this grant revolve around energetic engagement, dialogue and healthy disagreement, and sharing meals – all of which characterize what it means to foster a culture of encounter at a multifaith Catholic institution. These practices are essential ingredients for preparing our students to be human-centered leaders in an increasingly religiously diverse democracy.”
Niagara University will launch Beyond Belief to train student leaders to facilitate dialogue, panels, and service experiences that deepen listening, collaboration, and civic engagement.
The College of Saint Mary in Nebraska will guide eight student leaders to lead interfaith reflection for their Spirit of Service Day, connecting service activities with reflection on social issues and Catholic theology to strengthen leadership and pluralism.
Several campuses are also engaging students directly with their broader campus and local communities through dialogue and service.
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico will run Proyecto Puente Sagrado, bringing together student leaders from diverse faith backgrounds and non-religious perspectives to participate in interfaith dialogue, service projects, sacred site visits, and the creation of a sacred texts biblioguide in partnership with the university library.
Carlow University will expand its signature Mercy Service Day into a student-led interfaith service fellowship that allows students to plan the day and facilitate reflections emphasizing shared moral commitments to justice and mercy.
Other institutions are integrating Catholic identity with interfaith programming to advance pluralism.
Saint Norbert College will mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate by hiring an Interfaith Fellow and collaborating across campus units to host interfaith education events, service trips, antibias programming, and the development of a resource library.
Mount St. Joseph University will host sacred site visits and “Faith & Food” events, culminating in a student-led Interfaith Club that sustains dialogue grounded in Catholic mission and shared values. In their own words, “Mount St. Joseph University is honored to be a recipient of the Campus Pluralism Grant from Interfaith America. This support energizes our commitment to building a campus culture where people of all faiths, worldviews, and identities feel seen, heard, and valued. We are especially excited to explore the rich diversity of faith traditions across Cincinnati (an area with a long and vibrant history of spiritual practice) and bring those experiences back to our campus community. Through this grant, we are also delving into the interplay of faith and food by alternately dining out and cooking dishes related to the faith tradition we visited. In doing this we are creating spaces where community and conversation naturally come together, because that’s where meaningful learning happens.”
Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, will offer interfaith holiday celebrations, dialogues, site visits, immersive travel, service drives, and reflection retreats to cultivate leadership, intercultural competence, and coalition building among students. Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, Jessica Able said, “Bellarmine is thrilled to advance work that brings our inclusive Catholic mission to life by nurturing dialogue and connection among all members of our community. The pluralism grant will help us build pathways that promote inclusion, understanding, and deeper mutual respect.”
By weaving Catholic mission with the principles of pluralism, these campuses are cultivating inclusive, empathetic, and engaged communities of future leaders in 2026. At a time when polarization threatens our common good, Catholic colleges and universities hold a unique and urgent responsibility. When mission and pluralism converge, Catholic higher education becomes not just a place of learning but a dynamic public forum: a space for collaboration, dialogue, and healing that can help fix divisions in our broader society.
