New training empowers faculty and staff to embrace religious diversity
The Interfaith Initiative’s Multifaith Ready Training prepares faculty and staff to accommodate religious and spiritual differences on campus.
Being open-minded isn’t always enough. As JillAnn Knonenborg, assistant dean for interfaith leadership, teaches in her Multifaith Ready Training, being a multifaith ready institution means anticipating and welcoming the varying needs of all of Virginia Tech’s religious, spiritual, and secular community members.
“When asked why they joined the training, participants have said religious diversity is not a category of inclusion they’ve thought about before,” said Knonenborg. “They’re seeing increasing diversity among students, but they want to know: ‘Is it OK to talk about?’ And if so, ‘How do we talk about it?’”
Multifaith Ready Training, a one-hour virtual seminar piloted last spring, invites participants to reflect on how to best respond to the needs of students and individuals from varying spiritual backgrounds. Sessions occur every other month and are free and open to all faculty and staff.
The training examines topics including:
- Being multifaith ready vs. multifaith inviting
- Confronting personal bias and structural barriers in a campus setting
- Proactive solutions for potential conflicts involving faith differences
- Cultivating an environment of acceptance and belonging
The training supports Student Affairs in building a culture of inclusion and belonging where students can openly express their authentic selves and build connections across difference.
The idea for the training was born shortly after Knonenborg joined Virginia Tech in 2022. She observed that her colleagues were extremely receptive to the idea of fostering a community of belonging for students of all religious, spiritual, and secular identities, but many of them were overwhelmed by the practicality.
“They understood the connection between belonging and academic success,” said Knonenborg. “But many of them shared that they didn’t feel informed enough to be helpful. There were a lot of variations of ‘there are thousands of religions in the world; I’ll never be able to learn about them all.’”
The training is intended to quell anxieties and boost confidence, so participants feel prepared to be part of solutions on campus.
Knonenborg said religion can be an intense or painful topic for some, especially when handled carelessly. She said the care and intention behind the training make the mental and emotional well-being of participants a top priority.
While the training offers some theoretical background, the majority is focused on real-life scenarios and practical insight. Participants are invited to make comments and ask questions throughout the session. At the end of each session, they are put into small groups, where they are invited to discuss case studies of potential faith-related conflicts and solutions through the lens of multifaith readiness.
In a survey conducted after the pilot training, every respondent said they agree or strongly agree with the statement: “After the Multifaith Ready Training, I feel more prepared to support students with religious, secular, or spiritual identities different than my own.”
Survey respondents reflected that one of the most powerful parts of the session was a segment that presented real-life examples of student-based bias and institutional-based bias.
Paula Van Curen, academic advisor, said, “I appreciated the concrete examples of discrimination, both intentional and unintentional.”
For Sonja Crockett, graduate program coordinator and education support specialist, the biggest takeaways were “learning about different faiths, sharing insights from the scenarios, and hearing exactly what individuals of different faiths encounter.”
Knonenborg said the long-term purpose of the training is to help faculty and staff cultivate an environment where students can authentically show up as themselves and know that they belong.
“Everyone has a religious, secular, or spiritual identity,” said Knonenborg. “That identity shapes how they see the world, what’s important to them, and how they relate to others. To deeply understand students, we must learn to discuss and support this part of their identity.”
The next Multifaith Ready Training will be held on Nov. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. To sign up, email interfaith@vt.edu. Customized departmental Multifaith Ready Trainings are also available upon request.
