Class of '62 Student Enrichment Fund Event
Campus visit by Eboo Patel
October 25, 2017

On October 25, 2017, Eboo Patel (a leading voice in the movement for interfaith cooperation) was the featured speaker as part of the Global Studies Institute and Class of '62 Student Enrichment Fund series. Eboo is the Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a national nonprofit working to make interfaith cooperation a social norm. He is the author of the "Acts of Faith", "Sacred Ground", and "Interfaith Leadership" books.

Named by US News & World Report as one of America's Best Leaders of 2009, Eboo served on President Obama's Inaugural Faith Council. He is a regular contributor to the public conversation around religion in America and a frequent speaker on the topic of religious pluralism. He holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.

For over fifteen years, Eboo has worked with governments, social sector organizations, and college and university campuses to help realize a future where religion is a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. When he's not teaching his kids about interfaith cooperation, you'll find him feeding his love of coffee and rooting for Notre Dame.

Eboo began his day at Culver by meeting with CAPT Mike Neller (Commandant and our point of contact for arranging the events that our fund sponsors). Next, he met with Sam Boys (Director of Spiritual Life and Diversity) and others from his office. That was followed by lunch in the Heritage Room of the Legion Memorial Building with ~70 faculty, staff, and students. Next, Eboo attended classes in the Alumni Lounge with ~65 students where he talked for about 10-15 minutes on topics that included

  • How does communication play a key role in your work as a leader?

  • How did you come to be a writer and write the books you have?

  • How does your writing connect to your leadership?

  • The connection between religion and politics

That was followed by an All School Meeting where he presented his thoughts on how you live, lead, and serve across differences. See this article in the Culver News for examples of some of the stories he related.

Lastly, he met in the Roberts Auditorium with a smaller community including student and adult leaders of spiritual life and diversity committees.

His visit was extraordinarily well received as evidenced by the student comments received and included below.

CLASS OF 1962 STUDENT ENRICHMENT FUND FEEDBACK
Speaker - Eboo Patel
October 25, 2017
As compiled by Laura Yeager, Director of Stewardship, Development

"I learned new information on what it's like being a Muslim born in America and the difficulties involved, as well as the diverse community that America is. We all have different stories and backgrounds and, especially at Culver, we must learn how to interact with people who are completely different from ourselves. I learned from Eboo the different ways to interact with people at Culver who are of different faiths."
--Caroline '20

"I thought it was a really good experience because he was the one who stood up and pointed out that racial or religious discrimination still exists. My favorite part was when he was sharing three stories, which were very inspiring. In the future, I think I will try to be aware and stand up when discrimination really happens no matter if it's in the Culver community or in our society."
--Martha '19

"I really liked the presentation. I learned that people can accept and learn from other religions without abandoning their own."
--Mallory '19

"What I liked most about Eboo Patel's presentation is that he taught me how Martin Luther King Jr. became the person he came to be through the events in history that taught him about peace. What I was surprised about was how he had some of my ideas on why modern day society's religions need to work together and/or be cohesive with each other instead of killing each other."
--Grant '20

"The story about Martin Luther King Jr. was very inspiring and brought a new light to that topic which I had never considered. I learned to be more accepting of other beliefs and to follow in the footsteps of past leaders and American figures. I think I might end up trying a new service in order to broaden my perspective on different religions."
--Austin '18

"I liked when he talked about how religion should be a bridge to join people and not a reason to divide."
--Robert '21

"My ideas on how to be a leader and my views on other religions have not been changed, but they were enhanced based on this presentation."
--Abigail '20

"I learned that standing by and watching without doing anything is just as bad as being the one who persecutes those based on religion."
--Mary '21

"It is always good to hear a speaker who challenges you to think in a way that is different than your usual way of thinking. This presentation did that for me. His presentation was like a story rather than a speech. I really enjoyed and learned from it."
--Lauren '18

"I thought it was very meaningful and also the stories were very thought-provoking about today's religious situation in society. My favorite part was how deep he went into the stories especially the last story about which wolf you feed."
--Woods '21

"I learned about how religions can change some people's lives forever. I will now be more aware of how I speak to others as well as how my peers are treated by others."
--Jackson '18

"Although it was not a pleasant story, the part about how he betrayed his friend was the most moving to me. Now, hearing what he said about how he betrayed his friend, I will think about that more often when I am in a similar situation. Overall, this presentation was great."
--Graham '21

"His story has a purpose, and his speech is something that can impact people. I would like to thank him for his work and say how much we students appreciate him taking time from his day to visit us."
--Charlotte '20

"It was interesting to me to hear how MLK found Gandhi a good example of someone who embodies the Christian tradition even though he wasn't a Christian. It made me think more about looking at people for the goodness in them and focusing on our similarities rather than our difference."
--Claire '18