We write to you as college and university administrators and religious leaders responsible for guiding major initiatives in interfaith cooperation and community service in U.S. higher education. Many of our campuses have been named to President Barack Obama's 2015 Interfaith and Community Service Honor Roll. We represent a multitude of faith backgrounds, spiritual identities, humanist allegiances, and moral persuasions.
Together, we extend this letter calling upon governmental leaders and political actors present at the UN Convention on Climate Change in Paris 2015, to forge and commit to strong, binding agreements to ameliorate the human impact on climate change while protecting the basic human needs of all people.
We lift up the 2015 Parliament of the World's Religions Interfaith Call to Action on Climate Change: "The damaging impacts of climate change are already extensive...If human behavior does not change, these impacts will become far more extreme, resulting in turmoil and suffering on an enormous scale with immense harm to both humans and other forms of life. People affected are, and will be, disproportionately the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable, including women and children--those who have done least to create this crisis. This is a massive injustice."
As college and university professionals of conscience, we have been charged with fostering the religious, spiritual, and moral integrity of the next generations. We charge those present in Paris to take action to ensure a livable planet for these future generations by putting global well-being over specific national interests. The world is in your hands. Please act wisely.
Signed:
Alexander Levering Kern (co-author)
Executive Director
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Harrison Blum (co-author)
Buddhist Spiritual Advisor and Mindfulness Programs Coordinator
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Jem Jebbia
Senior Assistant Director
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Karin Firoza
Assistant Director
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Celene Ibrahim
Islamic Studies Scholar-in-Residence and Co-Director of CIRCLE
Andover Newton Theological School & Hebrew College
Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Muslim Chaplain
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts
Ken Scott
Director of Community Service
Eco-Ministry & Leadership - earthpeace
The College of Saint Rose
Interfaith Sanctuary / Spiritual Life Area
Albany, New York
Rev. John D. Williams, Ph.D.
Chaplain and Director of Church Relations
Austin College
Sherman, Texas
Jeffrey Scholes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
Director, Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
The Reverend Janet M. Cooper Nelson
Chaplain of the University and Director
Office of Chaplains & Religious Life
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Graziano Marcheschi, M.A., D.Min.
Vice President for University Mission and Ministry
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois
Rev. Dr. Zandra Wagoner
University Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion
University of La Verne
La Verne, California
The Rev. Dr. Paul V. Sorrentino
Director of Religious and Spiritual Life and Protestant Religious Advisor
Cadigan Center for Religious Life
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Walker A. Bristol
Humanist in Residence
Tufts University
Medford, Masschusetts
Dr. Patrick B. Reyes
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs
Director of the Center for Community Engagement
Trinity Lutheran College
Everett, Washington
Rev. David K. Miller
College Minister
Union College
Barbourville, Kentucky
Matthew Shields
Director for Mission & Ministry
College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, New York
Alexander Hernandez-Siegel
Mennonite Chaplain
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Vanessa Christman
Assistant Dean of the College for Access and Community Development
The Pensby Center
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Rev. Dave Wright
University Chaplain
Director for Spiritual Life and Civic Engagement
The Center for Intercultural and Civic Engagement
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington
The Rev. Canon Dr. C. Denise Yarbrough
Director, Religious and Spiritual Life
University of Rochester, Interfaith Chapel
Rochester, New York
Rev. Jeff Buscher
Chaplain
William Jewell College
Liberty, Missouri
Kathryn O'Loughlin
Associate Director, Mission and Ministry
College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, New York
Matthew Shields
Director for Mission & Ministry
College of Mount Saint Vincent
Bronx, New York
Jennifer Karsten
Executive Director
Pendle Hill Quaker Center
Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Reb Eli Herb
Jewish Spiritual Advisor
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Rev. Nancy Victorin-Vangerud, Ph.D.
University Chaplain and Director
The Wesley Center for Spirituality, Service and Social Justice
Hamline University
Rev. Matt Carriker
Protestant Chaplain
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann
Senior Associate Dean for Religious Life
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California
Rev. Joanne Sanders
Associate Dean for Religious Life
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California
Mary Lahaj
Muslim Chaplain (retired)
Simmons College
Boston, Massachusetts
The Rev. Dr. Nancy A.G. Vogele
Director of Religious and Spiritual Life
The William Jewett Tucker Center
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
Jennifer L. Sanborn
Admissions, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut
Pastor, Enfield American Baptist Church
Nathan Wallace
Assistant Project Coordinator, Student Affairs
Erie Community College
Buffalo, New York
John Bach
Quaker Chaplain
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tarah Trueblood, Esq. JD, MDiv, MA
Director, University of North Florida Interfaith Center
Jacksonville, Florida
Walter Hjelt Sullivan
Director of Quaker Affairs
Haverford College
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Rachel Samuelson
Coordinator, Student Community Engagement Center
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon
Rev. Kate Smanik
Assistant Dean of Students for Spirituality, Service and Social Justice
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana
Robert A. Pyne, Th.D.
Senior Director for Community Engagement
Director, Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice & Public Understanding
St. Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin
Rabbi Jeff Foust
Jewish Chaplain
Spiritual Life Center
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
The Rev. Charles L. Howard, Ph.D.
University Chaplain
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Todd Williams
Spiritual Advisor, Agape Christian Fellowship
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Jyl Gentzler
Humanist Advisor
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Philosophy
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Malisa Ellis
Spiritual Advisor
Agape Christian Fellowship
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Sr. Chris Clark, DHM
Catholic Advisor
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
Rev. Robin J. Olson, DMin.
Spiritual Life Center Director
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Yael Shy
Senior Director
Global Spiritual Life
New York University
New York, New York
Rev. Dr. Rodney L. Petersen
Executive Director
Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries and Interfaith Youth Initiative (IFYI)
Newton Center, Massachusetts
Rev. MaryHelen Gunn
Spiritual Advisor Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Gary R. Kirk, Ph.D.
Director, VT Engage: The Community Learning Collaborative
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
Melody Fox Ahmed
Assistant Director for Programs
Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Julie Newman
Student Cantor
Hebrew College - School of Jewish Music
Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Maytal Saltiel
Assistant University Chaplain for Special Programs
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Rev. Laura Brekke
Director of Religious Diversity
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California
Rev. Judith Stuart
University Chaplain - The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Northeastern University and Boston College
Boston, Massachusetts
Rev. Dr. Justin Allen
Dean of Spiritual Life
Director of the Institute for Church Professions
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia
The Rev. Katrina E. Jenkins
Chaplain
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois
Imam Abdallah Ddumba
Muslim Adviser
Spiritual Life Center
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
Jennifer Peace, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Interfaith Studies
Co-director, Center for Interreligious and Communal Leadership Education (CIRCLE)
Andover Newton Theological School
Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Aaron Jones. M.A.
Assistant Director for Community Affairs, Civic Engagement & Advocacy
Associated Students
President, Graduate Students Association
UC Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Dudley C. Rose
Associate Dean, Ministry Studies
Harvard Divinity School
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Kurt Nelson, MDiv
Dean of Religious & Spiritual Life
Colby College
Waterville, Maine
Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger
University Chaplain
Associate Director, IWU Center for Human Rights and Social Justice
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois
Kathleen S. Flowers
Director, Center for Community Engagement & Service-Learning
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York
Jeremy T. Wattles
Associate Director
Center for Community Engagement & Service-Learning
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York
Rev. Alex Hendrickson
College Chaplain and Director of Religious & Spiritual Life
Lafayette College
Easton, Pennsylvania
Kasra Ghorbaninejad
Shia Spiritual Advisor
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Kaitlin Ho
Campus Staff Minister, Intervarsity Multiethnic Christian Fellowship
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
Ahmad Abdul-Rahim
Muslim Spiritual Advisor
Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts