Augustana receives $10,000 grant to strengthen student interfaith dialogue

Augustana College has received a $10,000 grant from Interfaith America to expand student leadership training and interfaith dialogue during the 2026-27 academic year. The funding, awarded through the Embodied Pluralism Campus Initiative Grant, will support programs that help students navigate difficult conversations, understand different perspectives and build connections across differences.

“We want students to feel comfortable having conversations with people whose beliefs and experiences differ from their own,” said Danielle Henson, assistant director of spiritual life in Campus Ministries. “That doesn't mean every conversation will be easy, but learning to pause, listen and respond with empathy can make a real difference. We're giving students practical tools to navigate those moments and build stronger connections with one another.”

The grant will help Augustana train a group of student leaders to guide conversations about faith, culture and different viewpoints. Throughout the academic year, students will have opportunities to put those skills into practice through Gather and Grow events, short educational videos and other campus resources.

The videos will offer practical advice for handling difficult conversations and be shared with students and employees. They will also be included in leadership training for resident assistants, peer mentors, Student Government Association officers and Campus Ministries student staff. Faculty and staff will have access to a short resource they can use in classrooms and meetings.

The effort will be led by Dr. Gauri A. Pitale, vice president of culture and connection, and Danielle Henson.

“At Augustana, we believe learning from different perspectives is an essential part of preparing students to lead and serve in a diverse world,” Dr. Pitale said. “This grant allows us to build on our interfaith work while creating more opportunities for students to engage across differences with curiosity and respect. Our hope is that these experiences strengthen students' sense of belonging and give them the confidence to carry those skills into their communities and future careers.”

The grant builds on Augustana's previous interfaith initiatives. During the last academic year, the college received a $5,000 EMBLEM grant from Augsburg University to support campus interfaith programming. Augustana also received a $3,000 Interfaith America Interfaith Engagement grant for the 2023-24 academic year.