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Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger has launched a series of faculty-generated programs on religion in the public sphere with a provocative symposium on Thursday, March 2, exploring the question: " Is Religion Political?" The Kraft Program Series, sponsored by The Kraft Family Fund for Interfaith and Intercultural Awareness, is in its inaugural year. The program will begin at 6 p.m. in the Low Library Rotunda. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required and can be done online at: https://www.college.columbia.edu/calendar3/projects/president/kraft.php
"Is Religion Political?" features the following panelists: Randall Balmer, professor of religion at Barnard College; Jay Lefkowitz, partner, Kirkland and Ellis LLP, and Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea; The Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, the first female Bishop in the Episcopal Church in the state of New York; David Allen White, a longtime professor of literature at the United States Naval Academy; and moderator Marianne Hirsch, professor of comparative literature, Columbia University.
"Is Religion Political?" will explore what role religion plays in American politics, and how religious institutions exert their political power in elections in the United States. Panelists will examine what happens when human rights issues and religious teaching conflict, and will look at how those conflicts might be resolved. They also will discuss the effect of the First Amendment on religion in social life and in the political sphere. "As a political force, organized religion today is mainly on the conservative side. This was not always the case. How did it happen?" notes Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Journalism School, who proposed the panel and a member of the faculty committee planning the series.
"The Columbia community always has valued and celebrated the diversity that enriches academic study and life here on our campus," said Bollinger. "We are grateful for the generosity of Robert and Myra Kraft, and we are honored to have nationally acclaimed experts from outside the University join Columbia faculty and students as we embark on expanded thought and discussion on diverse religious and cultural perspectives with an important dialogue on religion and the public sphere."
The next Kraft Program Series panel will be "The Courts and the Church-State Line" on Tuesday, March 28. Bollinger will moderate this panel, which will explore church-state issues, especially as they relate to the Supreme Court and other high courts.
The faculty programming is developed by a committee of distinguished faculty on behalf of the Offices of the President and Provost. The committee includes: Carol Gluck, the George Sansom Professor of History and professor of East Asian languages and cultures; Eric Kandel, Nobel laureate and University Professor; Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism; and Robert O'Meally, the Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature and director of the Columbia University Center for Jazz Studies.
Kraft Commitment to Interfaith Awareness
"What Robert Kraft has done with his contribution is making interfaith and intercultural awareness a 'cool' activity for Columbia University students," said University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis. "It is wonderful to see the programs being initiated by students through the support of this fund. Robert Kraft and his family have affirmed the imaginations of students, allowing them to stretch beyond the familiar. Hundreds of students have already participated in programs cosponsored by The Kraft Family Fund for Interfaith and Intercultural Awareness."
The Kraft Family Fund reflects the deep and continuing commitment of Trustee Emeritus Robert Kraft and his family to his alma mater. Kraft, a businessman and philanthropist, is best known outside Columbia as owner of the three-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. While an undergraduate at Columbia College, he distinguished himself as a student, athlete and class leader. One of Columbia's most dedicated and involved alumni, Kraft served as a University trustee for two six-year terms, the maximum length of trustee service. Kraft -- awarded the 2004 Alexander Hamilton Medal and the recipient of the 2005 National Collegiate Athletic Association Theodore Roosevelt Award -- is also a principal benefactor of the Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Student Life, which was dedicated in 2000.
For more information on The Kraft Family Fund for Interfaith and Intercultural Awareness and other programs from the Office of the University Chaplain, visit http://www.columbia.edu/cu/earl/programs.html.
Kraft Student Programs
The Kraft Program Series includes both faculty-generated programs and student-initiated programs that began in the fall of 2005. The student-initiated programs, already underway, build upon existing activities organized by various cultural, ethnic and religious student groups. A nine-person committee composed of students and administrators is chaired by University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis, who selects and administers the allocation of the fund to support these programs.
In addition to the events held earlier in 2005 -- including an interfaith iftar, a meal served at the end of the day during Ramadan to break the day's fast -- the following student-initiated events are planned for the 2006 spring term:
- Amen, a series of dance, theater, music and comedy performances exploring common misperceptions about the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, suggested by Columbia/Barnard Hillel and Turath.
- The Veritas Forum, a February benefit concert and panel discussion exploring issues ranging from HIV/AIDS to poverty and human rights violations, created by InterVarsity Christian and Columbia Students for Christ.
- Confronting Racism: Intercultural Dialogues, a one-day workshop for students on ways to increase understanding among various racial and ethnic groups, conceived by the Columbia University School of Social Work Diversity Caucus, the Asian Caucus, the Student Social Workers for a Progressive Society, the Black Caucus, the Jewish Caucus, the Christian Caucus, and the Latino/a Caucus.
- Community Student Dinners, a series of dinners co-hosted with Community Board 9, which represents West Harlem, to discuss issues of mutual concern, suggested by the Student Coalition on Expansion and Gentrification and Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge.
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