University chaplains demonstrate religious cohesion - report

A major report commissioned by the Church of England and supported by many of the main faith communities in the UK, published today offers a tutorial in the valuable work of university and college chaplains up and down the country.

It calls on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the government to continue to invest in chaplaincies to help them further their significant contribution to social cohesion, at a time when 43 per cent of young people in England and Wales have experienced higher education.

Chaplains actively demonstrate how religious communities can work alongside each other in an environment of mutual respect that promotes dialogue, builds community cohesion and so in turn challenges extreme perspectives, argues Chaplaincy for All: Faiths in Higher Education Chaplaincy, written by the Rev Jeremy Clines, chaplain of York St John University.

Examples of good practice highlighted in the report include setting up inter faith societies, organising visits to places of worship, or mounting a 'faith week' to raise awareness about different world faiths.

The report points to the key role such projects play in fostering good relations between the future leaders of different faith communities in the UK.

As part of the project, Rev Clines undertook a wide-ranging survey among 111 of the 128 HEIs in England and Wales, supplemented by seven regional practice workshops. The findings illustrate how chaplaincies assist their institutions in shaping their vision, particularly in relation to internationalisation, widening participation and increasing community engagement.

The results of the year-long study were launched today during a conference in London addressed by Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further Education and Higher Education, in the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Rev Clines' report urges the Higher Education sector to support the creation of a national 'Faiths in Higher Education Forum', to include senior representatives of faith communities and supported by a working group.

The report also recommends that training materials and guidance should be produced to assist those working in the sector to navigate this complex subject.

The report recommends that the working group work in collaboration with national chaplaincy advisors, chaplains, and a number of educational bodies including Universities UK, the Equality Challenge Unit, and the National Union of Students and the Inter Faith Network.

The working group will provide further advice on how to determine the best provision for a range of faith groups, appropriate to the local context.

It will also look at how "dynamic equivalence" can be built into provision for the faiths, considering the history, heritage and location of the institution as well as the constituency of the student body and what provision they really need.

While space is still at a premium for universities and colleges seeking to offer facilities to a range of faith communities, 95 per cent of chaplaincies report some provision for prayer spaces at their institution.

While this is important, the report suggests that people with religious beliefs are more likely to feel that their identity is respected and affirmed through having their needs met in relation to a variety of issues including prayer space, accommodation, catering arrangements, opportunities to celebrate religious festivals and flexibility in the academic timetable.

Advice on possibilities for increasing the number of salaried religious professionals working in chaplaincies from all the faith communities, and resources to help chaplaincies manage the implications of the large number of volunteers helping to run their services.

The survey found that 78 per cent of all chaplaincy staff are Christian, while 19 per cent of chaplaincy staff come from the Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths.

With 95 per cent of all salaried staff having a Christian role in their chaplaincy team, the report raises the issue of how other faith groups can explore opportunities for resourcing chaplaincy provision, perhaps through collaborative joint bids.

"Universities have always been at the cutting edge of ministry," comments the Rt Rev Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth and Chair of the Church of England's Board of Education.

"That work becomes even more important at a time when around four in ten of our 18 to 30 year olds are experiencing higher education.

"The relationships students forge and the strategies they learn as they encounter diversity and difference are going to help form the attitudes they will take with them into the rest of their lives."

Bishop Stevenson said the report was a "significant contribution" to a debate that he hoped would "lead to a sustained focus on the value of chaplaincies, and a continued willingness on the part of all those in the sector to resource it accordingly in a range of ways".

"The Board of Education will consider the contents of the report in detail, and how the Church can respond to the issues it raises," he added.

The Church of England Board of Education offers Chaplaincy for All: Faiths in Higher Education Chaplaincy into the ongoing discussion about the development of chaplaincy in higher education. Through the report's publication, it expressed its commitment to engage with chaplains, faith communities, higher education institutions and sector agencies to improve provision.

The report, funded by the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund, is being sent to vice-chancellors, principals and chaplaincies across the country. Copies can be freely downloaded at: www.cofe.anglican.org/info/education/hefe/