Randolph launches Interfaith Fellowship, Unity Hour events to encourage campus pluralism

Interfaith Fellows Lukas Rathgeb ’28 and Annie Littleson ’29 speak with Charles E. Gibson, chief engagement and belonging officer. 

For Annie Littleson ’29, the draw of Randolph’s inaugural Interfaith Fellowship Program was simple: “I knew it would be somewhere I could put every little bit of my personhood and belief into.” 

“The fellowship pushes for unity, understanding, and constant conversations through divides we often do not even recognize,” Littleson added. “All of those things are continually on my mind and in my heart as I’ve grown to understand my own faith. It felt like exactly the place I needed to be.” 

The program is part of a statewide effort to foster pluralism in campus communities, funded through a partnership between Interfaith America and the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia. 

Together, the organizations launched an Advancing Campus Pluralism Cohort, which includes Randolph alongside Hollins University, Emory and Henry University, Ferrum College, Mary Baldwin University, Eastern Mennonite University, the University of Lynchburg, Roanoke College, Virginia Wesleyan University, and Bridgewater College. 

Each institution received a $25,000 grant and selected areas of focus. Randolph chose capacity building and institutional leadership, with the goal to create programming that teaches what pluralism is, why it matters, and how to foster it on campus. 

Suzanne Bessenger, Randolph’s 2024-2026 Presidential Fellow, and Chief Engagement and Belonging Officer Charles Gibson created the Interfaith Fellowship Program with that in mind. 

“With their knowledge as students, they’re able to see what the Randolph community’s needs are in a way that we cannot,” said Bessenger, the College’s Barbara Boyle Lemon ’57 and William J. Lemon Professor of Religious Studies. “We knew that would inform our strategy for programming and initiatives. We also wanted them to have a hands-on role in crafting the pluralism conversations and exercising the full range of their creativity.” 

There are three fellows—Littleson, Lukas Rathgeb ’28, and Estelle Le Floch Fernandez ’26—who are working on a range of project proposals, which Littleson called “big ideas we hope to implement throughout the rest of the year.” 

Littleson said they leave regular meetings energized and grateful for the work they’re doing. 

“One of the really exciting things is the diversity of the fellows,” they said. “We all have our feet planted in different soils, with a lot of varying interests. As a person with a strong Christian upbringing and as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, my sense of belonging is firmly positioned in both. My greatest hope for my role as a fellow is that I can be visible proof that the two do coexist, and they are entirely capable of continuing to do so.” 

Fernandez, who officially started the fellowship in January, said she’s excited to be a bridge builder at Randolph. 

“I want to support and help facilitate productive conversations about pluralism and religious and spiritual life in an intentional and respectful way,” she said. 

As part of the grant funding, Gibson has also been holding a weekly Unity Hour in Houston Memorial Chapel, facilitating discussions across religious traditions. 

“The focus is on bringing people together to discuss topics related to the tenets of religious pluralism,” he said. “We typically select a topic that is related to religious pluralism in some way, and then we explore what different traditions have to say about the topic, sharing excerpts from different texts and discussing what people have experienced in their own lives.” 

“We thought Unity Hour would be a little bit more inviting and reflect what the goal is,” he added, “instead of calling it an interfaith service or using language that could unintentionally exclude people.” 

Gibson has also added a fourth fellow, who will focus on civic pluralism initiatives. 

For the fellows and mentors guiding them, there is no finish line. The aim isn’t to complete the work but to stay in it. 

“We always say pluralism is not something that is ever achieved. It’s a practice,” Bessenger said. “The world is always changing, we are always changing, and our differences are always changing. So we have to constantly engage in these practices of pluralism, and continue to learn about ourselves and others.”