Colleges apply for Obama’s interfaith service program

More than 250 colleges, universities and seminaries have submitted
plans to the White House for yearlong interfaith service projects in
response to a campaign launched by the Obama administration.

Joshua
DuBois, director of the White House Office of Faith-based and
Neighborhood Partnerships, said officials had hoped for 100
participants.

"They don't have to agree about their different
beliefs, but we feel like they can agree on issues of service and
strengthening our communities," he said August 2. "And so many of them
are responding and saying . . . we want to take you up on this
challenge."

Projects range from that of Adrian College, a United
Methodist-related school in Michigan, which will combat sex trafficking,
to that of Southern Utah University, a state-supported school, which
will help hungry families.

The "campus challenge," which was
launched in March, grew out of recommendations from advisers to DuBois's
office who called for projects on more than 500 U.S. campuses by the
end of 2012.

Eboo Patel, president of Interfaith Youth Core and
one of the advisers, said he was pleased with the diversity of the
participating schools.  —RNS