1834 Magazine

1834 STAFF

EDITOR

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Hear from Joel N. Lohr about the new look and name of our magazine, as well as important updates from the last year.

1834: THE ROAD TO ‘A CHAPLAIN’S JOURNEY’

Our first professional documentary is part of a broader initiative to tell HIU’s story.

EXPANDING OUR BELOVED COMMUNITY

A new building for the Howard Thurman Center has all kinds of potential.

COPING WITH CRISIS

How has HIU addressed the crisis in Israel and Palestine? The answer is complicated. 4 6 12 14

MAP CLASS OF 2023-24

Meet 14 peacebuilders from around the world.

THE MACDONALD CENTER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

This groundbreaking center for the study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations is “constantly and creatively changing.”

CAMPUS LIFE AND NEWS

Learn about our re-accreditation, an endowed speaker series, new staff and faculty, and more.

HIU ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

Meet our newly invigorated alumni council, and learn the latest from students and alums.

IN MEMORIAM

We pay tribute to the alums, faculty members, and Trustees we have lost.

HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

We recognize our donors from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES

Our annual report

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

1834. It was the year The Theological Institute of Connecticut opened in East Windsor Hill after a group of Congregational ministers formed the Pastoral Union of Connecticut to train ministers. And now it’s the name of our annual magazine, which combines what many of you knew as Praxis, our annual report, and Connections, our alumni magazine.

1834 is also the name of a larger communications initiative at HIU. We’re launching a podcast, bringing our print materials to life with website and video links, and finding ways to connect with new audiences. This initiative links us with the past but also launches us into the future with a sharper look and modern storytelling methods. We began with a 16-minute documentary about one of our esteemed alums, Imam Chaplain Omer Bajwa ’10. I urge you to read the cover story and watch the short, award-winning film to learn more about Omer and his remarkable journey.

As we learned with our rebrand in 2021, it’s a big and complicated process to change from the familiar to something new and different. But the communications world is changing faster than any of us could have imagined, and HIU won’t be left behind.

In these pages of 1834, you’ll learn about what’s happening on campus, including two exciting conferences that will take place in June, one celebrating 50 years of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, and one focusing on Shi’a topics through our unique Imam Ali Chair in Shi’a Studies and Dialogue among Islamic Schools of Thought.

You’ll also learn about some of our recent initiatives and fundraising successes. In 2023 we raised over $3M for our work and capital projects, including the first expansion of our campus in more than 20 years. The brick building at 125 Sherman Street

will, after renovations, be the home of the Howard Thurman Center for Justice and Transformational Ministry and named in honor of HIU alum Ambassador Andrew J. Young ’55. It’s exciting to see this center come into its own!

Our faculty have been in the news, earning accolades and awards, and our alumni have been making news of their own. You’ll meet some of them in 1834’s alumni section. From spiritual caregivers to archbishops, our alumni make us proud.

You’ll also be introduced to the 1834 Society, the new name for those who have included HIU in their wills and estate plans. We’re thrilled to have the support of donors who want to make a legacy gift to the university.

Lastly, I encourage you to read the reprint (Page 14) of an important piece recently published on HIU’s blog, titled “Coping with Crisis.” In this difficult moment, it outlines our approach to dialogue, higher education and free speech, and how we are leading the way in this area. That many of our peers are now adopting the approach we chose a few years ago about public statements confirms our strong leadership and continued pioneering approach to education.

Enjoy your first look at 1834, and let us know what you think. It’s a work in progress, as we are.

Blessings,

JOEL N. LOHR PRESIDENT

University Eclipse Viewing Event, April 2024

1834: THE ROAD TO ‘A CHAPLAIN’S JOURNEY’

BY STEVEN HAVIRA

MEDIA INITIATIVE USHERS IN A NEW ERA AT HIU

The United States in the 1800s was in a period of societal challenge, population growth and territory establishment. The U.S. government was pushing westward to define new states and enterprise in the infancy of the Industrial Revolution. This growth, however, was not solely exclusive to west of the Mississippi. To the east, a different expansion was taking place. From 1800 to 1850, the U.S. experienced a “college building boom” in which more than 200 degree-granting institutions were created.

In 1834, The Theological Institute of Connecticut was established in East Windsor Hill. Developed to provide traditional education and to promote ministerial dialogue, it later evolved into The Hartford Theological Seminary, Hartford Seminary Foundation, Hartford Seminary and as we know it today, Hartford International University (HIU).

Though the times and names have changed, the mission to offer higher education in a diverse religious landscape has remained. For many decades, HIU’s work has been about understanding differences while also deepening faith.

In October of 2021, a rebranded “Hartford International University for Religion and Peace” was unveiled to the world after two years of thoughtful planning, with a good portion

done remotely through the COVID-19 pandemic. The event ushered in a new and exciting era with coverage by local press, speakers such as Gov. Ned Lamont, then-Mayor of Hartford Luke Bronin, and Duke University Chaplain Imam Dr. Joshua Salaam, an alum. The enthusiasm and positive reception for HIU was a pivotal moment in the organization’s history.

As with any massive change, a settling-in period follows that requires a re-introduction to the public of who we are, why we have changed, and what this means for our future. This outreach is always advancing and adapting to the culture and recognized as an important step in our strategic plan to become the nation’s leading resource for interreligious education, research, and peace studies by 2028.

CHANGE CREATES OPPORTUNITY

HIU holds a unique position in our field as a brand of domestic and global relevance. With our new identity, our communications will focus on four main areas: education, recruitment, development and relationships. Getting more people to know about our mission is of paramount importance.

Change also brings questions. How will HIU compare to institutions of larger size and related offerings? How

‘A CHAPLAIN’S JOURNEY’ HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED & AWARDED THE FOLLOWING SO FAR IN 2024:

can we define ourselves in a noisy digital world? What motivates those seeking education, and how does media play a part in their decision-making process?

Faced with these questions, we began to look back at what makes us a unique institution. A recurring theme kept surfacing: Our legacy has been shaped by people and their stories. Storytelling transcends traditional marketing mediums. By telling our stories through a variety of modes and methods, we could impact our marketplace in a very concentrated, customized, and personal way.

BEHIND THE LENS

For years, a personal ambition of mine, as Chief Creative Officer, was to create a longer form piece of media that personalizes our mission at HIU. This work would detail the story of an individual serving as the definition of excellence, leadership, and a living embodiment of the spirit of HIU. This project would also go beyond the normal conventions of an institutional piece of media. It would serve as a call to action to learn more about the meaningful work that defines our university. This project was to be special, taking considerable planning and massive effort. As with most lofty goals, it sat in the back of my mind for many years, never getting off the ground.

As it would happen in the spring of 2022, six months post-rebrand, Director of Communications Susan Schoenberger forwarded me an online article from Yale University titled “Open Heart, Open Door.” The feature article was about Omer Bajwa, a 2010 graduate of HIU’s Islamic Chaplaincy program. For the last 15 years Omer has been Director of Muslim life for Yale’s Chaplaincy Office. The article was written to promote a book of essays he recently co-edited chronicling the experiences of Muslim chaplains. In addition to his position

at Yale, he acts as a liaison to interfaith efforts at the university and is a trusted cultural advisor for mainstream media. If something is happening in the world relating to student interreligious life, Islam in America, or domestic university protocols, he is the person to seek. He is also incredibly involved within the Connecticut/ New Haven Muslim community and lovingly devoted to his family.

His story inspired many “what if” scenarios for me. With ideas firing and a few back-and-forth calls, texts and emails, we connected via Zoom a few weeks later.

We set a date for early June to meet at Phelps Hall on College Street in New Haven. When you drive into the domain of Yale University, which accounts for roughly 43% of the city of New Haven, you can’t help but be awestruck by its Gothic revival architecture, history, and influence on the American educational system. Constructed in 1896, Phelps Hall looks like a medieval English castle with tall black iron fencing and octagonal towers with copper domes serving as a pass-through to the old campus. When you walk through the enclosed arched gateway, a bustling campus shielded from the busy streets of New Haven is revealed. The campus was crowded with incoming freshmen on summer break taking tours with their families.

THE ICE CREAM MAN COMETH

Omer emerges from a corner of the courtyard waving in my direction. As he makes his way toward me walking briskly (Omer moves with purpose), he says hello and welcomes everyone on the pathway with a smile. He excitedly greets me and suggests we walk around for a tour on this beautiful June morning. If chaplaincy didn’t pan out for Omer he would have been an exceptional tour guide. He knows intricate details of the buildings,

statues, busts, and has lots of behindthe-scenes stories. “You like movies?” he asks. “Of course,” I tell him, and he begins to talk about where we are standing in the Phelps Hall courtyard. “This is exactly where they shot a scene for 2007’s Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.” He details a chase sequence from the film where Professor Jones (Harrison Ford) rides a motorcycle through the courtyard of his fictional university. The scene holds dozens of extras acting as students protesting the use of nuclear weapons in 1950. “The motorcycle was so loud from filming all day it ruined a wedding happening next door, leaving the bride in tears,” Omer says. “The best part of the story, as I understand it, is that Steven Spielberg heard about the upset bride and felt so bad about the incident he paid for the entire wedding and honeymoon.”

We continue to walk around the exterior of campus and find ourselves near the restaurants and shops that surround Yale. He knows these places just as well. As we walk past a city bus stop, no less than three people yell out, “Hey Omer!” He waves and tells me they are from his mosque. Suddenly a car pulls over from traffic into the bus loading zone. Someone rolls down the window and begins a conversation with him, they shake hands, and the car pulls away to catch the green light. He smiles, “Another friend from the mosque.”

We make our way to the chaplaincy office inside Phelps Hall. For all the grandeur of Yale, the office is quite humble, sitting beneath the streets of New Haven. As you walk down the stairs you are welcomed by pictures of past and current student classes. It’s a quiet and welcoming atmosphere, feeling almost removed from the world in its serenity. Omer introduces me around to the staff, shows me the student common area and brings me to the most valued communal possession in the office — a legitimate ice cream cooler box holding a variety

of top-branded ice cream bars. A co-worker walks by and says, “Omer is the ice cream man.” Omer tells me students, staff and even faculty make excuses to visit the Chaplaincy office for this reason alone.

Omer’s office tells the story of who he is. The door is decorated with his children’s drawings, and the bookshelves hold a variety of Muslim and faith-related readings. A small round table has two chairs for conversation, which is a majority of his job — listening, learning and understanding.

As we get into a discovery conversation, Omer describes with vivid detail his journey of faith through education that ultimately led him to HIU, earning a certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy. His story starts out, like all great stories do, in a place far, far, away — in his case, Pakistan. He recites the history of his grandfather, who was torn between loyalty to his country and British rule. He details the move to America as his father sought education and a career as a neurosurgeon and chronicles living in upstate New York in the 1980s as the only Pakistani kid in his class. Omer’s words paint vivid scenes of drama, chance, friendships, and loss. As we wrap up our conversation, he agrees to sit down for a filmed formal interview in a few weeks.

THE PROCESS BEGINS

Back at HIU, I sat down with my interview notes, reference photos and storyboard to begin the journey of mapping out the production plan for what would become HIU’s first professional documentary. As prep continued, we decided Omer’s story was strong enough narratively to anchor our new media initiative, 1834. Named for the founding year of our institution, 1834 would concentrate on three keys areas, video, print and digital outreach, which would build a strategy behind social media, live/filmed events and a new podcast. Each area would be streamlined, modernized and community-focused to reflect the best experiences HIU has to offer.

A few weeks later, in July 2022, I sat down with Omer for an all-day interview. Normally a subject takes a while to warm up to the camera and can only speak for 10-15 minute intervals. It’s tougher than you think, especially under lights and with off-camera prompts and questions. Omer sat uninterrupted for two hour-and-a-half sessions that day. He never wavered with his enthusiasm, emotion, and introspection — he was a marvel. Omer’s detailed responses can be looked at as a blessing and curse in regard to video editing. It’s always better to have too much than too little, but with the amount of detail he recited about his life, career and faith journey, most days I looked at his face on my computer with fear and anxiety of where to even begin. How can you sum up a life in mere minutes? The opening first minute of the documentary took six months to finely tune. It was a constant negotiation and rearrangement of showcasing Omer, his personality, career, and what chaplaincy even is, leaving viewers with a teaser to know more about his story. How much of him on screen? What type of b-roll, song and sound choice? It was the hardest-earned minute I’ve ever edited.

Editing is somewhat of a solo sport. Think of a piece of marble that you have to chip away at daily hoping to form a sculpture, though you don’t quite know what it will be. But as the months went by, Omer’s story began to form shape and stretch from what was to be a 5-8 minute video profile to a full blown 16+ minute documentary.

Concurrently, the communications department began to look at other endeavors under the 1834 banner. We turned our attention to outreach. Traditionally we have produced two magazines per year for the last 10 years. Before the pandemic, we were beginning to understand that we needed to move toward contemporary trends that emphasized video and interactive engagement. With thoughtful consideration and input from President Lohr and Board Chair Clare Feldman, we decided to move to one magazine a year. This reimagining would allow for a fuller, more enhanced reading experience with in-depth articles (like the one you are reading), Q&A’s, ads, social media links, and QR codes, allowing us to use multiple platforms.

In addition to a new magazine, we also contemplated entering the podcast world. It’s a crowded field; everyone from celebrities to kindergarten teachers has a podcast. How could we enter a saturated space while holding true to the HIU mission? After a summer with notepad drawings of names, logos, and keywords, we came up with a name. DOVETAIL: An HIU Podcast. Through embracing our logo/mascot of the ascending dove and borrowing a technical term from the skill work of carpentry, DOVETAIL is about bringing two sides together to form a whole. Conversations will focus on themes of Healing, Inspiration, and Understanding (each of those words also begin with the letters H-I-U).

In October 2023, the communications team premiered a presentation of 1834: A New Media Initiative to Trustees, Ambassadors, donors, staff, and faculty. Each member of the team presented their key areas of focus. Seated in the front row was Omer himself, accompanied by his wife, Lisa Kinney-Bajwa, to watch his life play out on screen. A few weeks earlier I had sent him a final version to review before our premiere day. When he arrived that afternoon, he informed me that he wanted to experience it with everyone and hadn’t watched it yet. This did little to soothe any nerves. Thankfully the video was met with sustained applause, with Omer emotionally moved. Lisa came over to congratulate the team and told me we had given such a gift to their family. Omer’s life and career is now something they can share with their family and friends around the world as well as revisit years from now.

Why relay all this? It communicates the importance of storytelling and finding the universal in the specific. Omer’s story is his alone, yet it resonates with everyone. One of our goals as communicators is finding new audiences that haven’t yet walked through our doors and getting them excited about the journey ahead. Like Omer, each and every one of our students and alums has a fascinating journey of their own. Our 1834 initiative will allow us to tell even more of their stories, shedding additional light on the important work that happens at HIU.

President Lohr introduces 1834 to faculty, staff, HIU Trustees and Ambassadors.

Communications Coordinator Liz Ryan presents our current and future strategy of social media and digital outreach.

Chief Creative Officer Steven Havira presents Dovetail: An HIU Podcast.

Events Coordinator & Continuing and Professional Education Manager Joe Chung details the technology behind live events.

EXPANDING OUR BELOVED COMMUNITY

In July 2023, HIU finalized the purchase of 125 Sherman Street, the former home of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ (SNEUCC). The purchase represents our first significant campus expansion in about 20 years.

The stately brick building is just across the lawn from HIU’s main building at 77 Sherman Street and will become the new home of the Howard Thurman Center for Justice and Transformational Ministry (HTC). Launched in 2022, HTC is named after a national icon who promoted the idea that out of religious faith emerges social responsibility.

HTC’s leaders say that 125 Sherman, which will undergo extensive renovations, will be designed to live up to Thurman’s teachings on “beloved community.” Thanks to the incredible generosity of many donors, including Andy himself, the building is paid for and will be named in honor of HIU Alum Ambassador Andrew J. Young ’55.

Beverne Cordner, Associate Director and Writing Instructor of the Howard Thurman Center, envisions that the building will propel HTC as “the beacon for peacebuilding, community engagement, and inclusive dialogue.” The center’s north star will be Thurman’s insistence on social justice, community, and responsibility within a spiritual framework.

HOWARD THURMAN TEACHINGS

An influential African American theologian, mystic, and civil rights leader, Thurman co-founded the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in 1944 in San Francisco, CA. This institution was the first integrated, interfaith religious congregation in the United States. Thurman, along with Alfred Fisk, established the church with the vision of creating a space where people from diverse racial and religious backgrounds could come together in fellowship.

Dr. Cleotha Robertson, Director of the Howard Thurman Center, said the building at 125 Sherman will move Thur-

man’s legacy forward. “When it comes to divisions, what usually gets focused on is our differences, but we also have similarities, a need for God, a need for community, mutual respect. And that was Howard Thurman. He saw how religion divides, and he made an example of how we can use faith to create a beloved community, to be able to respect one another.”

The goal is to be a community and educational hub, first in the Hartford area and then nationally. Another goal is to offer support to local pastors. Whether it’s checking out exhibits or using the meeting rooms for events, individuals and institutions in the community will be welcome. “Belonging matters, and reaching out to others and inviting them to belong matters,” Cordner said.

The space will serve as a resource center, and it will encourage learning from the resilience of Civil Rights figures who took nonviolent approaches and fostered peaceful dialogue.

“Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it,” Thurman said. “Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

‘A PLACE TO CONVENE IDEAS’

Bishop Dr. Benjamin K. Watts, Director of the Black Ministries Program and HTC’s Executive Minister, said HTC is excited to collaborate across faiths in its programming and its new space on campus.

“Our vision includes developing leaders whose ministries are operating at the intersections of public life and civic engagement with the intentionality of disrupting barriers to justice and creating understanding,” he said. “Understanding we are all interconnected is powerful! The HTC will become a place to convene ideas, a beacon for promoting the connectedness of all our communities, and with the acquisition of our building, a physical representation of our work on campus and beyond!”

The design of the building will be aligned with the center’s identity. Features such as meditation spaces, exhibition rooms, and the use of universal design will help create an atmosphere that will provide the visitor with a welcoming and inspiring environment, true to Howard Thurman.

“The new building is going to give us a place to, in a functional and practical way, do the kind of things that Howard Thurman did in his life,” Dr. Robertson said.

SCAN IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE HOWARD THURMAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL MINISTRY

COPING WITH CRISIS AT AN INSTITUTION FOR RELIGION AND PEACE

At HIU, our stock in trade is interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding. Indeed, “peace” is right in the new name we adopted in 2021 to better align with our mission.

On our campus and through our online classes, students from around the world and different religious traditions – mostly Muslim, Jewish and Christian – learn how to communicate effectively with their fellow students and with our diverse faculty about issues large and small. So it should have been in our wheelhouse to respond to the war in Israel and Palestine, right? The answer is complicated.

Over the last few months, we have been asked to make statements by people representing different voices in the conflict, some of them very close to us. A policy we deliberately adopted several years ago, however, means we don’t make public statements about current events. Here’s part of what our policy says:

We are a listening institution that nurtures relationships, scholarship, dialogue, and reconciliation on the road toward a more peaceful and just world. HIU’s statements are embodied in our work.

The policy, which readers can find on our website, also has something to say about the values associated with our mission, including these words:

We affirm the common humanity and dignity of all people. We abhor injustice, oppression and violence expressed in current events and ongoing, deeply rooted practices of dehumanization.

SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?

We believe that educational institutions like ours, indeed all institutions of higher education, need to foster free inquiry and hold space for dialogue and a multiplicity of viewpoints so that extremely difficult problems can be examined, addressed, and hopefully resolved. Our role is to offer that space and to teach the skills necessary to have those dialogues in a civil way.

We also believe the key to peacebuilding is relationships, and if relationships are destroyed, the chance for understanding and reconciliation evaporates. An important element of our educational work at HIU is to bring diverse people to the table, especially those with whom we might disagree; we can only engage in dialogue with someone who is sitting at the table with us. To make a meaningful statement often means aligning ourselves with one perspective, one we may hold deeply but one that will tell those who differ that our minds are made up. All too often that can send an unintended message: We don’t want you at our table. The more statements we make the emptier our table gets, and there is no chance for dialogue when you’re sitting alone at a table.

At the same time, a fundamentally important life lesson is also at stake in all of this, one our current culture seems to have lost: even if you think you’re absolutely right, you need to interact reasonably with people who think they are just as right as you but hold an opposing conclusion.

LEARNING HOW TO WORK TOGETHER

That doesn’t mean, however, that we have been sitting quietly at the table waiting for participation. Since Oct. 7, HIU has created and promoted numerous learning and dialogue opportunities.

• On an ongoing basis, faculty members task themselves with modeling multipartiality—some might prefer to think of this as attempted neutrality, or the withholding of personal judgment to foster learning—by keeping their own focus on the process of respectful and caring engagement among divergent views rather than advocating for any one position themselves. Time is given for check-ins and sharing.

• In October, we held a prayer vigil focusing on the deaths of innocent children with representatives from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths reading prayers of lament, many of which were derived from these groups’ respective scriptures.

• In November, we produced a well-attended webinar on “Active Listening in Divisive Times” that addressed the difficulty of having conversations about world events that can strain relationships. We gave practical information about what active listening entails and why it’s worth the effort.

• Another well-attended webinar we organized in November was titled “A Trauma-Informed Approach to Conversations about World Events.” This webinar addressed how trauma can be a factor in our reaction to news of violence in the world around us. We discussed what trauma actually is, how to recognize it, and how to respond appropriately.

• In February, we co-sponsored a program with the organization Sharing Sacred Spaces called “Peacebuilding Amid Polarization.” This four-week “toolkit for constructive engagement” drew on the experience and expertise of leading scholar-practitioners on both sides of the conflict, some of whom are connected to HIU.

• In March, we hosted a four-part webinar series on antisemitism and Islamophobia with prominent speakers looking at both the roots and the current manifestations of hatred and bigotry toward Jews and Muslims.

In addition to these HIU events, and others to come, our faculty members and President have been asked to speak to religious communities, civic organizations, the media, and other institutions of higher education, and they actively engage their own networks.

While taking these actions, we, like everyone, can still struggle with what to say and how to help. Killing and violence against innocent civilians is never justified, and at times it’s difficult to escape a feeling of despair. Even an institution structured around interreligious understanding and dialogue faces challenges in coping with a crisis of monumental proportions. Ultimately, our role is to educate and to offer as many opportunities as possible to nurture constructive dialogue. These things are not magic or achieved overnight. They are also not easy.

Learning how to work together – the actual step-by-step, sometimes painstaking, skill-oriented work of building relationships that can weather even the worst conflicts – is what we do at Hartford International University and what our students then share with the world after they graduate. It’s imperfect, and it’s difficult. It may also be the best hope we have.

MAP CLASS ’23-’24

Students from a variety of countries are spending 2023-24 on campus in our one-year, residential MA in International Peacebuilding (MAP). While here, the students develop interreligious literacy and acquire constructive conflict intervention skills through a combination of service-learning, traditional courses, experiential courses, and project-based learning.

AMINU YAKUBU SHARAFUDEEN

Country of origin: Ghana

Religious identity: Muslim

CHRISTOPHER ATISO

Country of origin: Ghana

Religious identity: Christian

MIRIAN DE-SOUZA

Country of origin: Ghana

Religious identity: Christian

NATASHA WHITE

Country of origin: USA

Religious identity: Non-religious

GODKNOWS MAREMERA

Country of origin: Zimbabwe

Religious identity: Christian

ANITA ODHIAMBO

Country of origin: Kenya

Religious identity: Christian

HABIBA MICKDAD

Country of origin: Tanzania

Religious identity: Muslim

SHEKHE DANLADI

Country of origin: Nigeria

Religious identity: Christian

EVANS NYAMADZAWO

Country of origin: Zimbabwe

Religious identity: Christian

PHILIP FONJOH

Country of origin: Cameroon

Religious identity: Christian

LEAH SIMON

Country of origin: USA

Religious identity: Jewish

MARKUS DOGO

Country of origin: Nigeria

Religious identity: Christian

AMAR AL MOUSSAWY

Country of origin: Lebanon

Religious identity: Muslim

REHAM MOSSAD

Country of origin: Egypt

Religious identity: Christian

(PICTURED) (PICTURED) DEAN WILLEM A. BIJLEFELD

THE DUNCAN BLACK MACDONALD CENTER CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

‘CONSTANTLY AND CREATIVELY CHANGING’

In 1972, the Hartford Seminary Foundation made a bold decision to shift its focus from offering degrees in ministry to non-degree education. At the time, however, there was an important institutional investment in the Arabic and Islamic Studies library resources and manuscripts, as well as a sizeable number of active graduate students. What resulted from this decision was the creation of the Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.

Named after the Christian scholar of Islam who placed Islamic Studies at Hartford on the map, the Center itself was the brainchild of then Dean Willem A. Bijlefeld. It would build from the previous tradition of Christian academic study of Islam to add two other important foci: research on Islam and programs for public education.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING

From its inception, the Macdonald Center assumed the responsibility for staffing courses in Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations. However, since Hartford Seminary had moved to discontinue its degree programs, the Center had to find an accredited graduate school with which to connect. Through a partnership with McGill University in Montreal, the Center began its illustrious history by relocating its three faculty: Bijlefeld, Wadi’ Haddad, and Isa Boullata. The arrangement lasted for only five years. Bijlefeld and Haddad then returned to Hartford; Boullata decided to remain on staff at McGill. Taking his place was Yvonne Haddad, the Center’s first woman professor.

The arrangement with McGill would be one of many throughout the life

of the center. Later, Hartford would partner with Temple University and Exeter University to provide opportunities for students to earn advanced degrees. Currently, under the direction of Hossein Kamaly, HIU offers its own Ph.D. in Interreligious Studies with possible concentrations in Contemporary Muslim Studies, Christian-Muslim Relations, and Islamic Studies, among others.

Over the years, the center’s academic focus has shifted with the times. Originally the interest was what Feryal Salem called in a Muslim World article “Christian engagement with Islam.” With the hiring of Muslim faculty members Ibrahim Abu-Rabi‘, Ingrid Mattson, Mahmoud Ayoub, Yahya Michot, Feryal Salem, and Suheil Laher, Muslim students were able to fully engage theological and legal aspects of their tradition. In 2001, Ingrid Mattson’s development of the

Islamic Chaplaincy program — the first accredited professional degree program for Muslims — created important shifts. A venue for academic study of Islam is now also a place where Muslim professionals train for various religious and public careers. Qur’anic Arabic was taught for many years by Steven Blackburn — but now students may also study tajweed, formal recitation. Under the guidance of Bilal Ansari and Lucinda Mosher, the Islamic Chaplaincy program was expanded into a multireligious, professional Master of Arts in Chaplaincy, with a continued track in Islamic Chaplaincy.

RESEARCH

Research is a critical component of the Macdonald Center’s mission. Its faculty have published numerous articles and books. The esteemed journal The Muslim World has been located at Hartford since 1938. Primary editorial responsibility has been assumed by Professors Bijlefeld, Kerr, Abu-Rabi‘, Smith, Mattson, Michot, and (currently) Timur Yuskaev. The current managing editor is Nick Mumejian.

Contributing uniquely to the Center was Mahmoud Ayoub (19352021). Not only did he teach numerous courses, contribute articles to the journal, and speak at conferences, he arranged for the joint Hartford-Temple Ph.D. program and, in 2015, helped to establish the first Shi’a Chair in North America. Currently held by Hossein Kamaly, the Imam Ali Chair in Shi’a Studies and Dialogue Among Islamic Schools of Thought organizes lectures by prominent Muslim speakers from around the world.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Under the direction of Bijlefeld, then David Kerr, the second director of the Center, international conferences on dialogue between Muslims and Christians were organized, often in

JUNE 2-3, 2024

partnership with the World Council of Churches. Throughout the 1980s, under the co-direction of Byron Haines and Marston Speight, the Center partnered with the Office for Christian-Muslim Relations of the National Council of Churches of Christ. Haines and Speight co-directed this program and shared office space.

The hiring of Abu-Rabi‘ in 1990 as the first-ever full-time Muslim faculty member of any seminary caused a shift to different partnerships and activities. Well known in several parts of the Muslim world, Abu Rabi‘ arranged for travel programs to Turkey, Indonesia, Morocco, Israel, and Palestine. His work enhanced the prominence of the center and of Hartford Seminary in general. When David Kerr left Hartford for the University of Edinburgh, Abu Rabi‘ and Jane Smith became co-directors of the center, creating a true cooperative paradigm of Muslim-Christian partnerships. Jane Smith transitioned to Harvard Divinity School in 2006; in 2008, Abu Rabi‘ took a teaching position in Canada. The Center was then directed by Ingrid Mattson post-9/11, under the groundbreaking

presidency of Heidi Hadsell, a time when public education of Americans regarding Islam was so critical.

From 2016–2021, the Center facilitated the Luce-Hartford Conferences. Led by David D. Grafton, the current director, these public programs invited Muslim and Christian intellectuals and practitioners to address social issues such as immigration, the environment, race, and women in religious leadership. Since 2021, an interfaith art exhibition has enabled Jewish, Christian, and Muslim artists to share their work.

FIFTY AND COUNTING…

In founding the Duncan Black Macdonald Center in a traditional Christian seminary, Willem Bijlefeld acknowledged its namesake’s interest in understanding Islam “from within.” Not until the 1990s and the hiring of Muslim scholars to teach, to direct academic programs, and to lead the Center itself would its ethos undergo a necessary shift. Now located within an interreligious university, the Center continues to “constantly and creatively” change.

SCAN FOR INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MACDONALD CENTER

SACRED EARTH

SACRED SOUL

JOHN PHILIP NEWELL WITH CAMI TWILLING

CAMPUS LIFE & NEWS AT HIU

The number of religiously unaffiliated Americans – often called “the nones” – make up a significant portion of the U.S. population, between 20-30%. Nones are not people who are necessarily all atheists, or morally indifferent, or unconcerned with spirituality. In fact, a recent study showed that as many as 72% of the nones believe in God, or a higher power, or a spiritual force. They often yearn and search for the transcendent and seek matters of ultimate concern, just like those in organized religion. At times they describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”

Unfortunately, there seems to be very little spiritual nourishment offered specifically to feed them, nourishment that is thoughtful, credible, meaningful, and tailored to include them as well as spiritual seekers comfortable within an organized religion. It is the goal of HIU’s new endowed Robertson Spirituality Series to

ROBERTSON SERIES ADDRESSES SPIRITUALITY FOR THE ‘NONES’

provide provocative and nourishing presentations to seekers from all backgrounds. The series hopes to feature speakers from all faiths and no faith, who will address spirituality’s intersection with:

• environmental justice, eco-spirituality, and racial concerns

• the rich tradition of mystical and contemplative devotion throughout world history

• “thin places”

• concerns of health, beauty, harmony, and mortality.

The series hopes to enrich spirituality in a variety of ways, including lectures, seminars, retreats, book groups, discussions, and trips to sacred places.

HIU’s Center for Transformative Spirituality and the Spiritual Life Center are partnering to sponsor this

programming, made possible by former Board of Trustees Chair James K. Robertson Jr and his wife JoAnn. Please stay tuned for announcements on future speakers, including Barbara Brown Taylor and Tom Shadyac.

SCHEDULED EVENTS

JULY 12-14, 2024

Earth and Soul weekend with John Philip Newell

OCT. 26, 2024

Restoring the Spirit: Maintaining Strength and Hope as Environmental Activists

DEC. 12, 2024

New York Times Columnist Ross Douthat

APRIL, 30, 2025

Author and New York Times

Columnist David Brooks

DAVID BROOKS

HIU COMPLETES 10-YEAR

RE-ACCREDITATION PROCESS

Hartford International is dually accredited by the Association of Theologi cal Schools (ATS) and the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Every 10 years, accreditors visit the campus to review a wide variety of standards and decide whether to re-accredit the institution.

In fall 2023, HIU hosted two separate visits by ATS and NECHE accreditation teams. For the two years prior to the visits, HIU engaged in a process of selfstudy, addressing the standards of accreditation for both bodies.

Both visits went well! Both ATS and NECHE recommended 10 years of con tinued accreditation with reports to be submitted at various intervals in the coming years.

Faculty member Dr. David D. Grafton and Benjamin Breault, Registrar and Assistant Director of Financial Aid, deserve huge congratulations for leading the process.

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NEW FACULTY & STAFF

BEVERNE CORDNER

Beverne Cordner, the Associate Director and Writing Instructor at HIU’s Howard Thurman Center (HTC), brings extensive experience from her work with the State of Connecticut. With skills in project management, strategic planning, data analysis, grant management, and public policy, she provides critical skills to the HTC. She holds an MA in Public Administration and a BGS in Interdisciplinary Studies. Beverne is dedicated to community service and serves as a Board Member and Treasurer of the local chapter of the American Society of Public Administration.

REV. DR. JANET F. FULLER CHANTEL GARDNER

Rev. Dr. Janet F. Fuller, a renowned figure in chaplaincy, is the Co-Director of the Master of Arts in Chaplaincy program. With a rich background in multifaith chaplaincy, Dr. Fuller, who grew up in Lebanon and Jordan, brings 40 years of experience, having served at Yale University, Hollins College, and Elon University. She has a strong commitment to diversity and interfaith dialogue.

Chantel Gardner is the Business Office Controller. She holds an MA in Organizational Management and Leadership, and a BS in Human Services from Springfield College. Her extensive skills include operations, payroll administration, and bookkeeping. Chantel also holds a Black Ministries Program Certificate from HIU, is a Certified Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor, and is an ordained minister. She brings a unique blend of skills and compassion to our community.

NANCY LOIS

Nancy Lois, the Special Collections Librarian, joins us from Southwick, MA, bringing diverse library experience from Andover Newton Theological School, Holyoke Community College, and Mount Holyoke College. Holding an M.Div., an MS in Library Science, and a BA in English, she is also an ordained minister with pastoral experience. Nancy’s role focuses on cataloging and organizing special collections, including the Macdonald collection of Arabian Nights materials.

PAUL GREGORIO COLLEEN HILL

Paul Gregorio is the Director of Facilities and Campus Operations. He holds a BS in Recreation Management and an MS in Recreation and Leisure. For the last 10 years, he served at Imagineers LLC as a Community Association Manager, managing 13 condominium associations in Hartford County. Previously, he held various positions, such as Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, Recreation Specialist, and Program Administrator.

Colleen Hill, the Strategic Communication Specialist at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research (HIRR), hails from Sonoma County, CA. A recent graduate of Washington State University in journalism and media production, Colleen served in key roles at a student-run television station and Northwest Public Broadcasting’s “Morning Edition.” Her role at HIRR involves expanding communication efforts and translating research findings into audio and video content.

NEW FACULTY & STAFF

LET’S KEEP “BANG” WILLIAMS’ LEGACY ALIVE ELIOT “BANG” WILLIAMS

Eliot “Bang” Williams was passionate about a world with more peace and understanding, a vision which he shared with everyone he encountered.

In a world where religious conflicts can flame into violence, the recently endowed “Bang” Williams Scholarship Fund” established by Bang’s family and friends supports HIU’s Master of Arts in International Peacebuilding (MAP) students.

Where there is conflict, these students create bridges of understanding. Where there is hate, they seek to bring love. Where there is anger, they seek to bring peace.

Bang’s wife, Sue, is sure that he would be “profoundly humbled and quietly proud” about this important work being done in his memory.

Please honor Bang’s vision with a gift to his scholarship fund now.

You can help bring peace to the world.

DONATE NOW

· Send a check to:

· Or use this QR Code

MAP is a one-year, residential, 36-credit, master’s degree program. Students develop interreligious literacy and acquire constructive conflict intervention skills through a combination of service-learning, traditional courses, experiential courses, and project-based learning. MAP students live in interfaith housing on campus.

Learn more here: hartfordinternational.edu

FACULTY BOOKS

SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND: REIMAGINING HOWARD THURMAN

Walter Fluker, Editor

Distinguished Professor of the Howard Thurman Center

This book aims to summarize the life and work of Howard Thurman while also stimulating Thurman scholars in their ongoing explorations of his importance. One of the leading religious figures of twentieth-century America, Thurman was one of the first prominent African American pacifists. He led the first delegation of African Americans to meet with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936, and his theology of radical nonviolence, outlined in Jesus and the Disinherited (1949), influenced and shaped a generation of civil rights activists.

— Orbis Books

VOLUME 3 OF CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS: PRIMARY SOURCES 600 - 1914

David D. Grafton, Contributing Editor Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

This three-volume reference work brings together over 400 extracts from the major writings left by Christians and Muslims that reflect their reciprocal knowledge. Texts and topics range from theological and legal treatises, scientific studies, travelogues, captivity narratives, martyrologies, poems, plays, and novels. The breadth and diversity in genres and languages presented makes this the most comprehensive resource in the field.

— Bloomsbury Academic

THE GOSPEL OF MARK: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO

THE GOOD NEWS

By Amy-Jill Levine

Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler

Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies

Walk through the Bible’s earliest source for the life of Jesus with scholar Amy-Jill Levine as she examines John the Baptizer, the Little Apocalypse, the Transfiguration, and several of Jesus’ most notable stories and parables. The Good News of the Gospel message comes alive in this book as readers see Jesus as divine and human, powerful and weak, approachable yet mysterious. The book features an in-depth study of select passages and illuminates the Gospel in its historical context and as a source for the other gospels.

— Abingdon Press

APPROACH TO HATE AND ANGER IN THE HEBREW BIBLE

NAMING GOD: CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES

By Lucinda Mosher, Editor Senior Scholar

of Jewish Studies

By Deena Grant Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Associate Professor

This innovative book applies findings from the field of cognitive linguistics to the study of emotions in the Hebrew Bible. The book draws on the prototype approach to conceptual categories to help interpret emotion language in biblical passages. Overall, it demonstrates that even though modern emotion terms cannot fully capture the ancient emotional experience, our shared use of language to evoke meaning offers us an entrée into the emotional world represented in the Hebrew Bible.

— Routledge

for Continuing and Professional Education; Faculty Associate in Interreligious Studies; Director, MA in Interreligious Studies; Senior Editor, Journal of Interreligious Studies

In Naming God, the result of the 2021 Building Bridges Seminar — an international dialogue of Christian and Muslim scholars — contributors examine the many ways Christians and Muslims refer to and describe God and the significance of naming God differently. This book provides guidance and materials that will benefit faith leaders as well as students and scholars of theology, dialogue theory, and conflict resolution. Nonspecialists will benefit from an entry-point into the theme of naming God.

— Georgetown University Press

FIRST INTERNATIONAL GHADĪR CONFERENCE ON SHIA STUDIES

The Life, Times, and Works of Bah ʾ al-D n Mu ammad al-ʿ mil : An Early Modern Muslim Polymath

June 23-24, 2024 Hyatt Regency Greenwich, CT

Topic : THE SPEAKER LINEUP Register now through the QR code or at : hartfordinternational.edu

Organized by the Imam Ali Chair in Shia Studies & Dialogue Among Muslim Schools of Thought (Hossein Kamaly, Ph.D.)

KEYNOTE

Dr. Sajjad Rizvi Professor of Islamic Intellectual History and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter

SPEAKERS

Dr. Hadi Jorati University of Massachusetts Amherst

Dr. Younes Mahdavi University of Oklahoma

Dr. Amir-Hossein Pourjavady

Independent scholar

Ms. Shadi Shafiei

Researcher at the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA)

Ms. Mahdieh Tavakol

Ph.D. candidate at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

ART EXHIBITION

Ms. Behnaz Karjoo Freelance artist, New York (taẕh b)

TWO FACULTY MEMBERS WIN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

DR. WALTER EARL FLUKER, Distinguished Professor of the Howard Thurman Center at HIU, was recognized as one of the most prominent American religious leaders of our time with the Freedom of Worship Award from The Roosevelt Institute on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at a ceremony in Hyde Park, N.Y.

His fellow award recipients included Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative and Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives; Tracie D. Hall, Executive Director of the American Library

Association; Bennie Thompson, U.S. Representative and Chair of the January 6th Committee; and Ady Barkan, Founder and Co-Executive Director of Be a Hero.

The Four Freedoms Awards are given to “individuals and institutions whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to the principles which President Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic speech to Congress on Jan. 6, 1941, as essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” First presented in 1982, recipients include some of the most celebrated names in modern history, including Nelson Mandela, Coretta Scott King, Harry Belafonte, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

DR. AMY-JILL LEVINE, HIU’s Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distin-

guished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, is the 2023 recipient of the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby.

The award was presented at Lambeth Palace in London on June 22 by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Hubert Walter Award was first awarded by Archbishop Justin Welby in March 2016. It is named after Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1193 to 1205, “who had dialogue with non-Christians at a time of interfaith conflict. Its design incorporates a scarab beetle, a motif favoured by Archbishop Walter, which some scholars believe may have denoted the resurrection.”

The award recognizes those who have made an outstanding contribution in the areas of reconciliation and interfaith cooperation. Dr. Levine was recognized “for developing awareness about Jesus’ Jewish identity and the Jewish contexts of the New Testament, and for unflagging education efforts in church and popular settings.”

MEET THE REINVIGORATED ALUMNI COUNCIL

HIU is pleased to announce its reinvigorated Alumni Council, which is set to play a vital role in providing opportunities for alumni to engage, be inspired, and stay connected to their alma mater. It is dedicated to being a resource for all alumni and contributing to the university’s mission and overall success.

The Alumni Council consists of three original members from the 2018 Council and seven new members, including two current students. The decision to include students is a strategic move aimed at fostering strong bonds between students and the institution as future alumni.

In partnership with Director of Engagement Katy O’Leary, the Alumni Council is led by Trustee Rev. Dr. Sheila Harvey, an alum who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2007. Dr. Harvey is a full-time pastor of Union Congregational United Church of Christ in West Palm Beach, FL, with a wealth of experience in ministry and chaplaincy. Her commitment to serving others is evident through her involvement in state and national non-profit boards.

With the members’ collective efforts and dedication, the Council is charting a course for alumni engagement to foster lifelong connections with future generations of HIU alumni.

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CHAPLAINS’ VOICES

On a recent five-hour drive to Vermont, I had a lot of time to question my decision to facilitate a climate-grief workshop at one of the largest farming conferences in the country. With so many more renowned presenters, would anyone show up to my session? What if I wasn’t academic enough? Am I even qualified for this? But when I arrived at my workshop space, I knew all would be well when I saw the stained glass window smiling down at me. They placed me in a retired chapel. I turned off the monitors and the microphones. To invite intimacy and a sense of safety, simplicity is required. Miraculously, 23 people showed up.

We talked about the complexities of climate grief, the natural response to the actual and anticipated losses due to the climate crisis. As I spoke, I cited principles from chaplaincy classes and my former Eco-Ministry training. We talked about how the most regrettable aspect of climate grief is that it is disenfranchised, with most of our culture scoffing at people’s pain for the world to the extent that the mourners are forced to suffer in silence. We created a ritual in which the participants could, some for the first time, voice and be witnessed and validated in their pain. I listened with curiosity and without judgment as they voiced their sadness over habitat loss, the declining amphibian populations, and local Vermont farms destroyed in last summer’s floods.

Just as importantly, we shared our love of the wild. Offering eco-centric gratitude, words of love, and appreciation for our wild kin. Praising the trees for the air we breathe and water, the foundation of life, and everything in between. Afterward, participants commented that they felt lighter and more hopeful. This was the highlight of my year because I feel like I made a difference, even for a few, and it affirmed that I’m on the right track in exploring Eco-Chaplaincy.

TRACY MEHR-MUSKA

In the college setting, students are exposed to opinions and theologies vastly different from the ones with which they were raised. Students are actively self-differentiating, growing in intellect and spiritual maturity, and working to make sense of the world around them. These exhausting and essential practices compel students to consider what aspects of their beliefs and practices they want to embrace as their own, and what they want to reject. Journeying with students as they labor to discern and evolve is one of the most awe-inspiring aspects of college chaplaincy.

This sacred work is complex and greatly influenced by the world around us. While it is sometimes easy to consider chaplaincy a hyperlocal vocation because we often engage in

deeply intimate one-on-one conversations about one’s innermost struggles, joys, aspirations, beliefs, and fears, this past year has been a reminder that the work of chaplaincy is not conducted in isolation. This period of intense conflict has represented a seismic and complex shift in the national and global environment which has substantially affected the work of college chaplains.

These past turbulent months have involved an even greater amount of humility, listening, and learning. The importance of creating safe space for people of any or no religious identity to share nuanced perspectives, free from the judgment they might fear receiving from their peers or families, has become even more urgent. The embrace of curiosity and wonder, the

courage to hear difficult stories, and the willingness to enter into another’s suffering are even more essential. The work of interfaith literacy and civil discourse is more critical than it has ever been. While the work of chaplaincy doesn’t aim to “fix,” it offers solace, companionship, and safety amid pain and uncertainty, and I’ve never been more grateful to be engaged in this holy and impactful vocation.

LYNN TROTTA (LEFT) IS AN HIU STUDENT STUDYING ECO-CHAPLAINCY

REV. TRACY MEHR-MUSKA, DMIN ’17 (TOP) IS UNIVERSITY CHAPLAIN AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL LIFE AT WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

ALUM EXPERT ON CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS VISITS HIU

BISHOP ALFORD MILLER ’92 RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

On Aug. 28, 2023, Black Ministries Program graduate Bishop Alford Miller ‘92 received the prestigious U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. The very next day, he visited the Hartford International campus to tell us the news personally. “This is where it all started,” he said.

The award is the highest level of recognition within the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) program. It was founded by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003 to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. To qualify for the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, nominees must complete over 4,000 hours of community service within their lifetime.

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, a 1993 graduate of our Doctor of Ministry program and the director of the Kaduna Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations in Kaduna, Nigeria, visited HIU to meet with Dr. David Grafton, Director of the Macdonald Center.

The purpose of their meeting was to plan for collaborative activities between their organizations, including a webinar held in February 2024 and future programs.

The Kaduna Centre for the Study of Christian-Muslim Relations, established in 2004, is dedicated to promoting peace, reconciliation, and development. They achieve this through educational workshops and seminars focused on Christian-Muslim relations. Their mission is to improve understanding and cooperation between Christians and Muslims, fostering harmonious coexistence and sectoral development.

Alford attributes his passion for serving to the teachings of Dr. Alvan Johnson and Bishop Dr. Alfred White at HIU’s Black Ministries Program. He fondly recalls their impact, saying, “They challenged me to serve from the heart. I was lost before the seminary; I had no sense of direction or purpose.”

Sadly, we lost Bishop Miller just a few months after he received this award. May he rest in peace.

THESIS BY SOHAIB SULTAN ‘10 BECOMES A BOOK

Chaplain Sohaib Sultan ’10 completed the Islamic Chaplaincy Program with a thesis titled Preaching with Purpose: Writing and Delivering Great Sermons. After Sohaib’s passing due to cancer in 2021, author Martin Nguyen revised and extended Sohaib’s thesis and wrote An American Muslim Guide to the Art and Life of Preaching

A trailblazer in chaplaincy, Sohaib was a prominent figure in the U.S. Muslim community. He was also an author and public speaker who frequently delivered speeches on Islam, interfaith relations, and spiritual development.

Sohaib was the first full-time Muslim Chaplain at Princeton University. While at Princeton, Sohaib said his work focused on “the intersection between the life of the mind and life of the spirit.”

MARNI LOFFMAN ’22

RELEASES ALBUM

Marni Loffman has transformed their spiritual journey into an album called “The Long Short Path.” Some of the songs in the album were created during their time in the MA in International Peacebuilding (MAP) program.

Marni says that while living on HIU’s campus, they experienced a unique prayerful environment where they were surrounded by spiritual friends with whom they could be creative. While here, they formed the Sherman Street Band and played numerous events with fellow students.

The album, Marni’s debut, is described as “combining elements from Ashkenazi prayer nusach with contemporary American musical genres, blending liturgical/rabbinic prose and poetry with original lyrics.”

CLERGY MEMBERS COMPLETE

HIU’S HEALING FELLOWSHIP

On Jan. 6, 2024, the Howard Thurman Center at HIU awarded its inaugural certificates to graduates who successfully completed The Healing Fellowship program. The program was made possible through funding from the Connecticut Health Foundation, the state’s largest health philanthropy. An initiative for social justice, The Healing Fellowship created a small pilot program designed to address high rates

of burnout, fatigue, and depression among Black and Latino pastors. It was an opportunity for pastors to gather in a safe and confidential setting to share their experiences and challenges of ministry today. Moreover, they developed relationships to support one another in mutual ministerial work and studied best practices in church-based mental health services. The pilot will be expanded in the future.

REV. F. LYDELL BROWN ’97 APPOINTED PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES

Black Ministries Program (BMP) alum Rev. F. Lydell Brown ’97 once heard from a mentor, “God didn’t call you to be successful; he called you to be faithful.”

Lydell’s faithfulness resulted in 30 years of pastoring, 20 years as Chief Operating Officer of The Conference of Churches, a stint as Interim CEO, and his recent appointment as permanent President & CEO, succeeding Rev. Dr. Shelley Best, also an HIU alum (see below). The Conference of Churches works to eliminate poverty by providing direct services to address social injustice and poverty.

REV. DR. SHELLEY D. BEST ’10 NAMED ONE OF CONNECTICUT’S GREAT INNOVATORS

The Rev. Dr. Shelley Best, a D.Min. alum, was highlighted as one of 11 innovators in the inaugural “Innovators Issue” published by The Hartford Business Journal and New Haven Biz

In the Journal interview, the Rev. Dr. Best recounts that while she was getting her Doctor of Ministry at Hartford International, she got closer to art by painting and expressing herself “theologically on canvas.” And when she graduated, “her path to the pulpit merged with the focus of her doctorate: faith-based community development — the involvement of faith-based institutions in the economic revitalization of local communities — and its outgrowth, social enterprise.” She is now the CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

IN MEMORIAM

ALICE FRAZER EVANS

1940-2023

In May 2023, the Hartford International University community mourned the loss of Alice Frazer Evans, 83, who co-founded the Plowshares Institute based in Simsbury, CT, and taught courses in theology and ethics at HIU.

Alice was the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from HIU in 2017 and accepted a posthumous degree for her husband and Plowshares Co-Founder, the Rev. Dr. Robert “Bob” Evans.

The team, and they were an inseparable team, received numerous awards and were nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by members of the South African Parliament in recognition of their efforts to equip South African anti-apartheid leaders with conflict transformation skills.

“Alice was a peacebuilder and peace educator in everything she did,” said Phoebe Milliken, Director of the MA in International Peacebuilding at HIU. “The remarkable work of Plowshares Institute was made possible by her tireless efforts to design powerful educational programs tailored to the needs of each global partner. When I am working on a peacebuilding lesson plan or a program design, I can almost hear Alice reminding me to make sure the process of learning lives up to the values implicit in the content. Her wisdom is woven throughout the MAP program at HIU.”

Alice earned a BA from Agnes Scott College and the University of Edinburgh and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the Goethe Institute in Berlin.

Alice and Bob, who also raised three children, founded the Plowshares Institute to cultivate peace through mediation, case-based conflict transformation training, and intensive international travel seminars.

“As a board member of Plowshares Institute I had the opportunity to see the impact and engagement of Alice Evans and her husband Bob in opening the world to those who accompanied them to challenged countries in their peace and reconciliation work,” said Nancy Roberts, 2nd Vice Chair of the HIU Board of Trustees. “I was one of the many people who benefited from seeing the world through their eyes.”

After the Plowshares Institute closed in 2015, its board voted to support Hartford International University’s International Peacemaking Program (now the MA in International Peacebuilding) with its remaining financial resources.

Alice wrote and edited many books and led travel seminars with Bob in countries across the globe. According to her obituary, Alice was also “a remarkable gardener and an accomplished underwater diver.” After her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, she chose to participate in a study at the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit to help find a cure.

ELIZABETH (BETTY) STUNTZ ALLEN, 98, was born and raised in India (now Pakistan), the daughter of Methodist missionaries. She eventually became a missionary to India herself and studied at Hartford International University to prepare for the work. She married the Rev. Daniel Allen, whom she met at HIU. Betty and Dan served churches in Warehouse Point, CT, Quincy, MA, and Stafford Springs/Crystal Lake, CT.

THE REV. DONALD RALPH ASMAN, 88, received his divinity degree from Hartford International University in 1960. Don was ordained at Wallingford’s First Congressional Church that same year, embarking on a lifetime of United Church of Christ pastoral appointments and ministry work in South Dakota (1960-1974), Minnesota (1974-1979), and Hawai’i (1979-2022). He was dedicated to interfaith programs and initiatives and volunteered with numerous faith-based organizations. He also brought joy to many in both religious and secular settings as the renowned and enthusiastic magician, “Asman the Astounding.”

MINNIE REBECCA ROMERILL BEGUIN felt called to be a missionary as a teenager. Preparing to go to India as a single missionary with the American Baptist Association, she attended Hartford International University, where she met her future husband, Maurice Beguin. The Swiss Mission sent them to South Africa in 1950. Maurice and Minnie later worked with American Baptist Churches in Ohio and New York.

MARY A. CALVERT-HEAVILIN, 87, returned to school and earned her GED at the age of 29, followed by a B.S. in Psychology from Trinity University at 40, and her Master’s of Social Work from UCONN at 44. After retirement, she studied Judaism and Islam at Hartford International University, achieving her Graduate Certificate in Islamic Studies in 2007.

REV. WARREN ELWIN COVELL met his wife Phyllis at Hartford International University, where they were both

studying for ministry. He pastored 14 churches in southern New England and upstate New York over 50 years of ministry, including seven churches after his formal retirement in 1996. He is remembered for his deep concern for others, for helping people to reconcile differences, for his life-long learning and commitment to teaching, and for his charitable giving.

VADA CROSBY, 61, was a highly respected journalist, graphics designer, and seminarian. In 2007, while working at The Hartford Courant, he attended Hartford International University to earn a Master’s degree. He later conducted writing classes for HIU master’s and doctoral candidates. In addition, he taught a writing course for HIU’s Black Ministries Program. He also performed many marriage services in Connecticut.

THE REV. DR. RICHARD CLINTON DIEHL, 87, was a devoted alumnus of his alma maters, Heidelberg College, Andover-Newton Theological School, and Hartford International University. He was a minister, servicing churches in Connecticut for more than 40 years. He loved to play basketball, fish, and grow roses.

ROBERT DALTON ERTL, 93, received his Bachelor’s degree from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and a Master’s degree in sociology from Hartford International University. He met his wife of 66 years, Jean Smith, at HIU. He worked his entire career with the Connecticut Juvenile Court system as a probation officer and later as a casework supervisor.

THE REV. PATRICIA URSULA PORTER FELLETTER, 86, received a certificate of lay ministry from Hartford International University and was commissioned for lay ministry at the Center Congregational Church in Manchester. She later earned a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. She was ordained at Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford in 1990. She served five Connecticut churches as well as a

brief interim with the Connecticut Conference as Associate Conference Minister of Christian Education.

THE REV. DEBRA MANN FLUDD, 66, was a graduate of HIU’s Black Ministries Program. She was employed by Norwalk Hospital for 45 years until her retirement, at which time she devoted herself full time to the work of ministry. She was an active member of the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship of Norwalk and Vicinity and the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention.

GLORIA GREEN FRASER, 91, was a graduate of the Black Ministries Program. In 1996 Bishop Hester D. Bordeaux chose Mother Fraser as State Supervisor of Connecticut Second Jurisdiction. She served as a devoted, consecrated, and faithful Supervisor for over 22 years, and later was senior pastor of a mission in New Haven. She had 9 children, 36 grandchildren, 55 great-grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren.

KARL GROSS, 80, was educated at the College of Wooster and Hartford International University. His last job was Director of Community Relations for the City of Cleveland. Karl always embraced social justice and diversity.

SAMUEL CHARLES HAMILTON, 79, a former Trustee of Hartford International University, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark College, Atlanta, GA, where he was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame. He completed additional studies at the University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, and Indiana University. Professionally, Sam retired as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Hartford Economic Development Corporation (HEDCO) and the Greater Hartford Business Development Center, Inc.

THE REV. WAYNE ALFRED HOLSMAN, 87, graduated from Amherst College. He obtained his divinity degree from Hartford International University before serving as a Congrega-

NOTE: For consistency purposes we use our new name, Hartford International University, in obituaries, though we are proud of our history and heritage as Hartford Seminary.

tional minister for churches in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont. He tirelessly advocated and worked with groups associated with human and animal rights.

BISHOP DONALD DEVONE

JOHNSON SR. graduated from the Black Ministries Program at Hartford International University and studied at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Bishop Johnson was very active in Hartford, where he was one of the founders of Hope Street Ministry. Bishop Johnson most recently served as the Chaplain for Men Standing Up Against Violence.

DANIEL MAIDEN, 59, earned his Doctor of Ministry from Hartford International University. In addition to serving as parish pastor to several churches, he ministered to Haitian immigrants and to people dying of AIDS. He was living in New York City on 9-11-2001 and was deeply moved by the attack on his adopted city.

THE REV. EDWARD MAYES received a Master of Divinity from Hartford International University. He was ordained in 1968 in Randolph Center, CT. He served the Flagg Road Church in West Hartford, CT, for 30 years before retiring in 2001.

MARTHA LOUISE KEMP MCKNIGHT, 92, was born to Methodist missionaries in Angola, Africa. Returning to the U.S., she earned a BA from Elmira College and a Master of Religious Education from Hartford International University. She later returned to HIU to study in its School of Missions, where she met and married Theodore (Ted) McKnight in 1956. The McKnights sailed to South Africa that year to work in literacy and Christian education programs. Again returning to the U.S., she earned a Master of Library Science at Indiana University and worked in several positions in Indiana libraries.

ESTHER LENORA MEGILL, 99, received a Master’s in Religious Educa-

tion and a doctorate in religious education (Ed.R.D.) from Hartford International University. Following graduation, she worked at McCurdy School in Santa Cruz, NM. Later she was Executive Secretary for North and West Africa for the World Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, among many other positions. She wrote a textbook for theological schools in Africa and edited a hymn book for African children.

THE REV. ALICE O’DONOVAN, 76, began her formal theological training at Hartford International University with a Master of Religious Studies, and then completed her Master of Divinity at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. Being true to herself, Alice was the first openly gay person to become an ordained minister by the United Church of Christ in Connecticut in 1988. And true to her roots, she was committed to serving small churches in New England. She served eleven churches in Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut.

JOHN “JACK” WALDAU OLSON, 91, earned a degree in engineering from the University of Connecticut then served the U.S. Air Force during post-war Korea and Japan. Later he worked as a reporter for the Hartford Times. One of his stories was about the Rev. Ralph Christiem, who inspired Jack so much that he decided to become a Christian minister. He attended Hartford International University and was ordained in 1963. He earned his Master of Divinity from Yale University in 1974.

RT. REV. ROMANOS (RICHARD)

V. RUSSO, 81, studied Arabic at Hartford International University and at Ohio State University, and Syriac at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary. For over 60 years, he taught classical and modern languages, literature, history, theology, ESL and linguistics at the high school and collegiate levels and was the recipient of several grants and fellowships. He spoke and read over a dozen modern and ancient languages.

DR. DONALD G. SUKOSKY, 90, received degrees from Trinity College, Harvard University, and Hartford International University. He was the senior minister for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bridgeport and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Meriden before changing careers to work as a professor at the University of Hartford for 35 years. In retirement, he continued to teach at Manchester Community College well into his 80s.

ROBERT K. SWEET JR., 85, earned a Master of Divinity at Hartford International University and went on to obtain a Doctorate in Parish Ministry. He was ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church and, for 40 years, served churches in Easthampton MA; West Springfield, MA; Niantic, CT; and Reading, MA. A District Superintendent, he offered leadership to 84 churches and 72 pastors. Bob led dozens of summer programs for youth at camps and on trips around New England, as well as leading mission work teams in countries around the world.

THE REV. JOSEPH VUJS, 94, attended Wesleyan University with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. While there he was called to the priesthood, attended St. Mary’s in Baltimore, MD, and was ordained a priest in 1957. He received a Doctor of Ministry from HIU in 1987. He served numerous parishes around Connecticut and worked to address issues of social justice.

THE REV. DR. WILLIAM J. ZITO, 88, was known as “everyone’s minister.” He earned his Bachelor of Divinity from Hartford International University, and years later, came back for his Doctor of Ministry. By avocation, Bill was an accomplished musician, serving as an organist and choir director throughout his college and seminary years. Among other positions, he served as senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Watertown, where he faithfully ministered for over 33 years. Over his career he performed nearly 1,000 baptisms, over 1,000 weddings and about 800 funerals.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

($10,000+)

Anonymous

Harold C. Buckingham Jr. *

Martin and Aviva Budd

David E.A. and Sara Carson

Connecticut Health Foundation

Fellowship in Prayer

Lynn and John Fulkerson

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Margaret Moore

The Francis Asbury Palmer Fund

Prior Family Foundation

Nancy and Stephen Roberts

James and JoAnn Robertson

Beverly and Travis Tatum

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

($2,500-$9,999)

Shakeeb Alam and Aida Arain

J. Heywood Alexander

Fatma and Dr. Ali A. Antar

Linda Beher

Sanford and Diane Cloud

The Ruth Conant Trust Fund

Ann and James Crawford

William and Ann Cronin

Imran Eba and Hena Kazmi

Clare and Barry Feldman

Kirsten and Eric Flanagan

Peter and Susan Kelly

Naeem Khalid

Joel and Teresa Lohr

Aida and M. Reza Mansoor

Ann Marino

Bill and Linda McKinney

Michael and Nancy Rion

Ali and Hajar Shakibai

Rev. Linda M. Spiers

Tull Charitable Foundation

VISIONARY

($1,000 - $2,499)

Ralph Ahlberg

Bilal Ansari and Colleen Keyes

Mohammad and Kaneez Bajwa

David and Ann Brandwein

Marilyn and Thomas Breckenridge

Noora Brown and Khamis Abu-Hasaballah

Allison Chisolm and Peter Hansen

James Emrich

Julie Fewster

First Church in Windsor

Harriet and Phil Gardner

David and Karla Grafton

Dr. Heidi Hadsell

Wendy Haller

Richard M. Howe

Islamic Council of New England

Dr. Faroque Ahmad Khan

Daniel R. Kingman

Medical Mission Sisters

Even C. and Martha R. Page

Perry Davis Associates, Inc.

Peggy Reduker

Frank and Judith Resnick

Ted and Ellen See

Margaret and Kenneth Thomas

Sarah Williams

Susan and Eliot* “Bang” Williams

David and Michele Wilson

The Y Group of Spiritual Seekers

Barbara Brown and Joseph Zikmund

*DECEASED

THIS LIST REPRESENTS DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE MADE BETWEEN JULY 1, 2022, AND JUNE 30, 2023

PACESETTER

($500 - $999)

Shawnee C. Baldwin

Shirley Dudley

Edward and Lynne Duffy

Lisa Gordon

David and Sara Hadden

Gwen Haley and Maria Dynia

William W. Helmstetter

Rev. David S. Hill

Georgette Huie

Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts

Russell Hall Jones

Doug and Jean Kelly

Ilona W. Kwiecien

James Latimer

Rev. Dr. Molly Mazey O’Neill Louden

Ian and Lesley Markham

Alison Melick

Rev. Joyce B. Myers-Brown

Evan and Leah Odden

Judith Perkins

Susan Pokorny

Stephen R. Rafferty

Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper

Elizabeth Schiro and Stephen Bayer

Susan Schoenberger and Kevin Wyman

Evelyn Sealand

JoAnne Y. Taylor

Brad Watkins

INVESTOR

($250 - $499)

Elizabeth and Kenneth Allen

Ivan Backer

Karen Bailey-Francois

Wanda B. Bates

Courtney and Anne Bourns

Ann Carlson

Jeanette and Hyon Chol Chung-To

John Cordani

Alice and Peter* Cruikshank

Lillian F. Daniel

Shawn Fisher

Arnold Greenberg

Rev. Donald L. Hamer

Abigail K. Hanna

Ernest and Millie Harris

Alyce and David Hild

Thomas C. Hofstetter

Gloria E. Jimpson

Hossein Kamaly

Charles Kuchenbrod and Rebecca Sielman

Rev. Dr. Robert Kendrick Loesch

Nancy and Phil Meek

Deborah Moyer

Katy O’Leary and Jim Bannister

Ezra and Christina Ripple

Sherie and Keith Roberts

Lorraine Ryan

Alison Scherer

Jean Young

William and Janet Zito

PARTNER

($100 - $249)

Anonymous

Tina Ahlberg

Diann and Todd Bailey

Joe and Gwen Bartok

Sheryll Bedingfield

Star Beeman

Mary Bischoff and John Kaiser

Rev. Dr. Shirlee M. Bromley

Anthony S. Brown

Elizabeth A. Budd

Stephen and Patricia Camp

Jackson Carroll

James Carter

Mark Caruana and Paula Baggaley

Katherine A. Carver

Carolyn H. Cary

Polly U. Champ

Shannon Clarkson

Columbia Congregational Church

Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree

Judith Crocker

Lisa Dahill

Carey B. Downes

Rev. Dr. Eileen L. Epperson

William Farley

Catherine Fisher Field

Karen Finn

Timothy Fisher

Karl A. Fransson

Kenneth L. Gentili

Peter and Jeanne Grandy

Paul John Hartung

Rev. Dr. Sheila Harvey

Angela and Frank Hauzeur

Wendy and the Rev. Dr. Paul Hayes

Rachel Hayward

Robert B. Hoffman Sr.

Dean and Luciana* Huh

Richard Huleatt

James and Faye Humphrey

Reade and the Rev. Dr. Molly F. James

Edward and Michael Jeter

Kathleen Kellogg

Robert C. Knox III

Dr. Yehezkel Landau

Mary and David Larson

Diana Lee

Gary and Elizabeth Lewis

Lovett Family

Jean Amos Lys

Elizabeth Martiner

Robert and Dorothy McAllister

Birch Milliken

Laura Miraz

Gary Mongillo

Pamela Morrison-Wolf

Lucinda Mosher

Sandy and Randy Motland

Rev. Msgr. Michael J. Motta

Victoria T. Murphy

James and Sharon Nelson

Cingh Lun Niang

Ann Nichols

Douglas Norell

Allison Norton

John and Darlene Oblak

John J. O’Neill Jr.

Rev. Joseph L. Pace

Andreas Papadatos and Brenda Thickett

Rev. Richard S. Pryce

Shyamala and Krishnan Raman

Arthur Riihimaki

Peter and Pamela Rosa

Marshall and Sandra Rulnick

Valiyaveetil and Susie Samuel

Jennifer Sanborn

Christine Sanders

Michael Sandner

Alice Seidenberg

Ann and Noa Conger Simons

Jean and Paul Simpson

Thomas Staley

Jaye Starr and Mustafa Boz

Karen and Andrew Stockton

Elizabeth A. Sweet

Norris Taylor

Scott L. Thumma

Joseph M. Tobin Jr.

Union Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Ann Van Cleef

Rev. Charles E. West

Cheryl Winter

Nancy A. Wood

*DECEASED

EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO LIST NAMES AS REQUESTED. IF YOUR IS IN ERROR, PLEASE CONTACT DEVELOPMENT@ HARTFORDINTERNATIONAL.EDU

Here are the some of the blogs that have been shared the most:

Best of the Blogs

In 2021, with the launch of our new website, HIU established a blog called “Religion & Peace.” Since then, we’ve posted dozens of pieces that cover everything from mysticism to trauma-informed listening.

Blogs are a great way for us to reach new audiences who are searching for information online about a variety of topics. These short pieces of writing always link back to our programs and our website.

Exploring the history of interfaith dialogue

What Does A Chaplain Do and How Much Do They Get Paid?

The Concept of “Mysticism” in the Abrahamic Faiths

What Are the Roles of Chaplain, Minister, Pastor, or Priest

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES

OPERATING REVENUE

Student Revenues

Investment Return Utilized for Operations

Private Gifts, Bequests, and Grants

Research and Grants

Auxiliary Activities

Other Revenue

PPP Loan Forgiveness

Investment Income, Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts

TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE

OPERATING EXPENSES

Educational & Institutional Support

Management & General Fundraising

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS, OPERATIONS

OTHER CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

Private Gifts and Pledges

Investment Return, Net

Investment Return, Utilized for Operations

Change in Value of Split Interest Agreement

Depreciation

Other Expenses/Income

TOTAL OTHER CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR

NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR 2023 $804,897 $3,461,485 $474,098 $352,708 $73,677 $360,221 $$561,493 $6,088,579 $4,469,214 $2,074,040 $324,392 $6,867,646 ($779,067) $58,770 $5,453,584 ($3,347,271) $366,709 ($184,821) ($43,473) $2,303,498 $1,524,431 $70,381,041 $71,905,472 2022 $782,457 $2,421,953 $876,863 $1,094,800 $91,439 $238,592 $485,871 $434,468 $6,426,443 $3,277,567 $2,340,735 $511,495 $6,129,797 $296,646 $205,600 ($7,463,943) ($2,484,191) ($2,025,795) ($189,574) $7,108 ($11,950,795) ($11,654,149) $82,035,190 $70,381,041

HIU BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Ms. Noora Brown Chairwoman of Interfaith and Outreach, Farmington Valley American Muslim Center Inc.

Rev. Dr. Karen Bailey-Francois Alumna and Minister, Second Congregational Church of Cohasset, MA

Mr. Martin L. Budd, Esq., Treasurer Retired Partner, Day Pitney, Stamford, CT Temple Emanu-El, New York

Rabbi Debra Cantor Congregation B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom, Bloomfield, CT

Dr. Lisa Dahill (Faculty Trustee) Miriam Therese Winter Professor of Transformative Leadership and Spirituality, Director of the Center for Transformative Spirituality

Rev. Dr. Sheila Harvey (Alumni Representative) Pastor, Union Congregational United Church of Christ, West Palm Beach, FL

Ms. Kathleen Dion Partner, Robinson+Cole, Hartford, CT

Mr. Thomas C. Hofstetter Managing Director –Investments at Wells Fargo Advisors

Ms. Gertrude “Trudie” Prior President and General Manager, Coral World Ocean Park Member of the Board, Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas USVI

Mr. Naseem Shaikh, 1st Vice Chair

Dr. Ali Shakibai Cardiologist

Mr. Imran Eba Partner at Action Potential Venture Capital in Cambridge, MA Principal of Ahlulbayt School for Knowledge

Ms. Allison Chisolm Principal, Choice Words/Chisolm & Co. Wesley United Methodist Church, Worcester, MA

John Cordani Intellectual property attorney, Robinson+Cole, Hartford, CT

Ms. Clare R. Feldman, Chair Retired Senior Vice President Citizens Bank, Congregation Beth Israel, West Hartford, CT

Mr. Peter Kelly Senior Principal, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, PC Dr. Joel N. Lohr President, Hartford International

Mr. James K. Robertson Jr., Esq., Chair Emeritus Alumnus and Partner, Carmody & Torrance, Waterbury, CT, Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, CT

Mr. Shakeeb Alam Co-Founder and President of East Bridge Capital Management, L.P. Dr. Sherry Turner Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN

HIU Ambassadors

Ralph Edgar Ahlberg

Saud Anwar

Mohammad Saleem

Bajwa

Courtney B. Bourns

David Brandwein

Gordon Scott Cady

Sajjad B. Chowdhry

Joseph Colletti

Rev. Dr. David D. Grafton (Faculty Trustee) Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

Mildred McNeill Retired Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, University of Hartford

Mr. Edmund (Ted) See Retired Partner, Day Pitney LLP St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, Hartford, CT Mr. Frank R.A. Resnick, Secretary Retired Chief Financial Officer, Mandell Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center Beth El Temple, West Hartford, CT Ms. Nancy P. Roberts, 2nd Vice Chair Retired President, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, Hartford, CT St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford, CT

William J. Cronin Jr.

Shirley Dudley

Julie P. Fewster

Shawn R. Fisher

James P. Friedman

Harriet H. Gardner

Wendy M. Haller

Robert B. Hoffman Sr.

Molly F. James

Molly O’Neill Louden

Jean Amos Lys

Hugh McLean

Kate McLean

Priya Morganstern

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Pilar R. Schmidt

John L. Selders Jr.

Ms.

Mr.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FINDS GRANDMOTHERLY BOND IN HARTFORD

BY LIZ RYAN

The first Sunday after Philip Fonjoh arrived at HIU, in August 2023, to begin his MA in International Peacebuilding, he walked through Hartford looking for a church to worship God. With no luck, on his way back, he walked past a bus station where Marion, an 89-year-old lady, was standing. Philip said, “Hi,” and they started a conversation. She told him she was going to church and insisted he come with her. They have been friends ever since. “Meeting her, I felt, was God’s providence leading me to her.”

When Philip speaks about Marion, his smile doesn’t only reflect his personality but also fond memories of Cameroon, his home country. Marion reminds him of the close relationship he had with his grandmothers. “I was looking at her, and I had this kind of a connection, missing my grandmothers from both my paternal and maternal side.”

Due to her advanced age, Marion stopped going out and, therefore, stopped going to church. This saddens her. But Philip brings the word of God to her. Every time he visits her at the Immanuel House, they read the Bible, pray, and sometimes sing. “I admire that at that old age, she still believes in the gospel of Jesus, and she is sure that when she dies, she will go to heaven,” he said. Philip’s relationship with Marion is part of serving the community around campus. “Being a student here doesn’t mean that my work here is only to be reading and doing assignments and not contributing to the community around me.”

One day, a Christian gospel musician went to the senior care facility. Philip wanted Marion to feel good and strong, so he invited her to dance. Her face illuminated with joy. Philip is a pastor in Cameroon, so caring for Marion fulfills one of his passions. “She keeps me connected to God. And I’m happy that no one is supervising me to go there. I’m not giving a report to anyone,” he joked. “I just love it.” Sometimes, when Marion needs help, he tells the senior care facility workers, “I fulfill my role as a grandson.”

Marion has family in Connecticut but she still appreciates Philip’s company. He tells her, “Marion, you are my grandmother, alright?” And she smiles.

She offers him grandmother-like attention, always interested in what he has been up to. She asks him, “Do you have a job?” “Do you have food?” She also asks him about the church, advises him to be careful, and makes sure he is safe. One Sunday, she told him, “I think you need ice cream.” She grabbed her bag and handed him a five-dollar bill.

“I thought I was going to have cultural barriers, but I speak, and she is able to understand my English. She flows with me, and I don’t even see the color that she is white,” Philip said. “She doesn’t look at me as black, so the relationship has become cordial in such a way that minimizes anything that could have been a cultural shock.”

The staff at Immanuel House is always welcoming of Philip. They are glad that he visits her.

Marion says of Philip, “He always brightens my day. He is helpful and keeps my spirits up, and I’m always glad he comes.”

When he returns to Cameroon, he will keep her in his prayers.