Interfaith and Spirituality Initiatives
ESU has a vibrant Interfaith and Spirituality Initiatives program to aid our students' enrichment and inter- and interpersonal development.
ESU's Interfaith and Spirituality Initiatives offers support services and programming to cultivate a campus of belonging, lifelong learning, and self-exploration as students navigate a global and ever changing society.
Mission Statement
ESU Interfaith and Spirituality Initiatives (ISI) aims to promote and enrich our campus community on the diversity found within the cultural, contemplative, and wellness spheres of religion, spirituality, and secularism.
- Functional Goals
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ESU Interfaith and Spirituality aims to:
- To ensure the development & sustainability of a campus community that is conducive to the holistic development of our students.
- To ensure ESU's campus community acknowledges, respects, and enables the exploration and diverse expression of our students' religious, spiritual, and secular beliefs.
- To vet and offer a network of community partners and organizations for access by our students as they pursue their unique paths of spiritual development.
- To support the development and sustainability of our interfaith, spirituality, and secular student organizations.
- To create spaces and dialogue for community development and the education of our campus community regarding religious, spiritual, and secular diversity.
- To create avenues of support and enrichment for faith and spirituality exploration.
- To serve the holistic wellness needs of our student body and campus community.
- Students Learning Outcomes for Programming & Initiatives
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Through ESU's interfaith and spirituality initiatives and supports, students will:
- Have the opportunity to explore, question, understand, and affiliate with various religions/belief systems, spiritual beliefs, contemplative and secular practices.
- Be able to independently nurture and cultivate their own identity, personal philosophy, and interactions through the spheres of religion, spirituality, and/or secularism.
- Learn about different elements of world religions/belief systems as well as spiritual and secular ideologies.
- Develop in the areas of (but not limited to) benevolence, skepticism, purpose, intellectual inquiry, and civic/social responsibility.
- ISI Steering Committee
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The ISI Steering Committee is a representative committee of staff and faculty aiding in the strategic development of this work and functional areas.
ISI Committee Members:
- Fernando Alcantar, Director of Student Engagement
- Lurine Allotey, MBA, Assistant Director of Center for Multicultural Affairs and Inclusive Education
- Marcy L. Cetnar, Executive Associate to the President & Christian Fellowship Faculty/Staff Advisor
- Robert Cohen, Professor & Department Chair of Physics & Jewish Student Organization Faculty/Staff Advisor
- Marianne Culter, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Sociology, Social Work & Criminal Justice
- L. Jamila Fleming, Director of Center for Multicultural Affairs and Inclusive Education (Chair)
- T. Storm Heter, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Modern Languages, Philosophy and Religion
- Doreen Tobin, D.Ed, Community Liaison
We invite you to explore the various organizations in this site and become involved in one or more of them during your career at ESU. Review our list of campus based organizations.
If you don’t see an organization that matches your spiritual needs, we invite you to explore the creation of a new organization that does.
In addition to on campus organizations, East Stroudsburg and the surrounding area also has a rich history of religious and spiritual diversity with many places of worship and culture located a short distance from campus. View our list of worship locations.
Meditation Center
The ESU Meditation Center is an open center of prayer and reflection. The center is open to people of every faith and to all seeking truth in stillness and friendship. Amid the stress and strain of University life, it is a place where the balance between being and doing can be reset. The Center is a spiritual space where people with or without faith affiliation will find a welcoming point of inner renewal.
The ESU Meditation Center is located in Stroud Hall 321 and is open 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. Please note that you will need your ESU eCard to access this space.
Feel free to explore the website, and if you have any questions about campus ministry or spirituality feel free to contact either one of the on campus organizations, a local organization or the Center for Multicultural Affairs and Inclusive Education.
Contact Us
Contact Information
- Campus Address
- 96 Normal Street
- Phone:
- (570) 422-3896
- Title of Department Leader
- Coordinator, Interfaith Spirituality Initiatives
- Name
- L. Jamila Fleming
- E:
- lfleming@esu.edu