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Endless possibilities: Hendricks Chapel dean reflects on 1st year on the job

Tiffany Steinwert spends very little time at her desk.

‘I’ve gone far and wide, met many people and have begun to build connections and think about where my work will continue,’ said Steinwert, dean of Hendricks Chapel. ‘The first year is a year where you begin to map the landscape.’

Steinwert began as the dean of Hendricks on March 1 last year. During her first year as the dean, she spent her days meeting with students, groups and committees, organizing events and familiarizing herself with the campus and community. As the dean, she said her job isn’t to do all the work but to facilitate others in their own efforts.

‘I empower others to do the work that they’re called to do,’ Steinwert said. ‘There are very few places where the work I do as a pastor, scholar and organizer all come together. Hendricks Chapel touches every part of the university and the community. There are an infinite number of possibilities of things we could do here.’

But endless possibilities offered through the chapel are both a blessing and a curse.



‘If I could clone myself, I would. If I could hire 25 people, I would. Finding all the time so that the possibilities can be done well is difficult,’ she said.

One project Steinwert picked up was the ‘Three Faiths, One Humanity’ trip, run by the chapel. Through the program, students travel to an international destination where a variety of faiths are practiced, and they participate in different religious traditions.

In line with her history of supporting interfaith initiatives, Steinwert broadened the scope of the program to include faiths beyond Christianity, Judaism and Islam, renaming the program ‘Many Faiths, One Humanity.’

This Spring Break, 11 students will travel with Steinwert to London. The group will learn and participate in traditions from every religion represented, including celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and visiting a Pagan stone circle. Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Pagan students will be on the trip with Syracuse University’s Buddhist chaplain. This is the first year the program will partner with SU Abroad.

In London, the students will work with Anne Beffel, an associate professor of art, design and transmedia, to create videos that will look at the world from a nonviolent perspective and hopefully foster dialogue, Steinwert said. Students have been participating in video workshops. An installation of their work is planned for when the students return.

Creating a solid artistic program for the chapel has been one of Steinwert’s focuses.

‘There have been ways in which art has always been integrated into the life of Hendricks Chapel, but what I wanted to do was to really create a sustainable Artist in Residence program,’ Steinwert said.

Steinwert also began a luncheon series at the chapel that gives students an opportunity to have a conversation, rather than just hear a speaker.

Guests such as Brad Hirschfield, a Rabbi and author, and Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, have already presented as a part of the series. Jimmy Creech, former executive director of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, will speak later in the semester.

Much of Steinwert’s work over the past year has been a continuation or extension of the work of her predecessors.

Thomas Wolfe, now senior vice president and dean of student affairs, held the position before Steinwert. When Wolfe left the post in 2008, Protestant chaplain Kelly Sprinkle took over as the interim dean.

Wolfe selected the search committee for a new dean and began holding interviews in fall 2009 to fill the position. Once Steinwert was chosen, Wolfe said he saw her naturally take to the role.

‘It was just really obvious,’ Wolfe said. ‘She has a very clear understanding and commitment to interfaith dialogue and work.’

Wolfe describes Steinwert as ‘fun, bright and articulate.’ He believes it is her ‘ability to combine her strong voice for justice with her compassionate concern for others’ that makes her the right person for this position.

‘I don’t think there’s another job in the country like that job. Our chapel plays a role in the campus community in a variety of ways. Yes, it is the home of all faiths, but it’s a place for all people as well,’ Wolfe said.

Sierra Fox, a senior vocal music performance and religion and society major, sat on the search committee that selected Steinwert. She is currently the president of the Hendricks Chapel Choir and the vice president of Student Pagan Information Relations and Learning.

‘Her intelligence and interest in interfaith work and discussion were just immediately extremely relevant,’ Fox said. ‘She’s caring and thoughtful and really just sharp as a tack.’

Fox recalls a time during the interview process when a student asked a question about the history and architecture of the chapel. When Steinwert answered, she quoted the textbook of Hendricks with extremely specific information, which was impressive, Fox said.

Fox believes it is Steinwert’s ability to listen that makes her good at her job.

‘She really just wants to understand where people are coming from and is able to quickly and intelligently assess where they are and how she should go about doing what’s best for them,’ Fox said.

Prior to coming to SU, Steinwert was a teaching fellow at Boston and Harvard universities. She also served as an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church and as a senior pastor with Cambridge Welcoming Ministries. After receiving the position, she and her partner, Joshua Arrowood, moved to Syracuse with their infant son.

Today, Steinwert balances her home life with her dean responsibilities. The first thing she does when she wakes up in the morning is spend time with her now 20-month-old son. Before going to bed, she checks her e-mail. She sleeps with her phone close by in case she is needed in the event of an emergency.

As Steinwert looks to her future at SU, she hopes to shape a plan for the chapel as well. A team of 16 people from across the university will work for six months to craft a strategic vision for the chapel that will benefit the campus as a whole and the community beyond, as well as give Hendricks a direction in which to grow.

Steinwert said she hopes to see Hendricks help people, especially students, ask the big questions of life.

‘I want them to come to Hendricks Chapel, not just because they have a religious service on Sunday or Friday, but because they’re wondering about the world and asking significant questions,’ Steinwert said. ‘I hope to grow Hendricks Chapel from a place where people come to a place where people come together.’

mjfahner@syr.edu

 





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