With an eye toward giving all religious traditions a meaningful voice on campus, campus ministries has undergone a name change.

Introducing, the Center for Spiritual Life.

“The change reflects the College’s desire to be more inclusive, to reach a broader audience than just Christians,” said Rev. Jeff Falter, College chaplain.

The genesis of the change occurred at a Feb. 19 meeting of the Campus Ministries Advisory Board (CMAB), which includes faculty, students, staff, and community members.

“The Board believed that the name campus ministries gave the impression of referring too specifically to Christian ministry, and deemed it appropriate to consider changing the name to something more inclusive,” explained Falter.

After extensive discussions about what name would best meet the needs of the campus and local community, the Board proposed the Center for Spiritual Life.

“The name honors the religious and faith commitments of the Christian students and illustrates my desire and that of the College to continue to expand the religious traditions outside of Christianity and aid in the acceptance of non-Christian students,” said Falter.

According to Falter, the new moniker also reflects program changes that have occurred in recent years—including adding non-Christian elements in the annual baccalaureate service—as well as the multiple faiths that exist on campus and in the community.

This coming semester Falter plans to initiate a weekly, 15-minute service where worshipers of all denominations “can come together to pray.”

The CMAB solicited feedback from the College community on the proposed name change and the response was “overwhelming positive,” according to Falter.

“The consensus was that the name campus ministries was too narrow in focus and made some people feel excluded.”

The proposal was approved by the A-team and Board of Trustees.