Leadership and the Good Life

West Chester University’s Better Together Day, planned and hosted by the Leadership and the Good Life Project in collaboration with campus partners, brought together more than 100 students for an event dedicated in dialogue, reflection and community engagement. The event featured 15 on- and off-campus organizations, each offering opportunities for students to explore different religions, cultures, and sustainability techniques through interactive tabling and conversation.

Students participated in a labyrinth experience, engaged in hands-on community service activities, and connected with organizations committed to fostering understanding across identities and disciplines. Adding an academic and creative dimension, students in Dr. Zachary Wooten’s HON 212: Moral Choice in a Technological Age course designed posters centered on the theme of “Building Trust,” highlighting how meaningful developing trust can be to strength communities and support more inclusive leadership.

Better Together Days took place over two days in March 2025. The Interfaith Action Committee (an Honors Student Association committee lead by Gabi Steffy) and the Interfaith Leadership Fellows (part of the Interfaith, Meaning-Making, and Spirituality Project directed by Dr. Zachary Wooten) worked in partnership with Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI). All worked extremely hard in planning these events.

On Wednesday March 26th, over 130 students attended the Better Together Days tabling event. 19 different on campus and off campus organizations were represented tabling at the event focused on building trust across enduring lines of difference for the sake of the common good. The event gave students the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the different organizations and featured over 85 posters created by first-year Honors College students in HON 212: Moral Choice in a Technological Age. The second event was hosted by the Honors Student Association, and students had the opportunity to engage in dialogue focused on how different groups could create a space where they could live better together!

The Interfaith Action Committee, the Interfaith Leadership Fellows and the Office of Student Engagement worked together to plan Better Together Days 2024. On Tuesday March 19th,  the Better Together Days Networking Event allowed participants to  meet before the community carnival in hopes to create connections across lines of difference. Over 110 students attended the carnival as well as 18 different on campus and off campus organizations tabling. Students engaged in dialogue with the different organizations, as well as participated in community service, walked the labyrinth, and played games! Students in Dr. Zachary Wooten's HON 212: Moral Choice in a Technological Age course also had the option of sharing "Unlikely Friendship" posters as part of a research gala. Students highlighted examples of people or organization's who've successfully worked across lines of difference for the sake of the common good. The last event was hosted by Honors Student Association on Thursday night. Malik Muhammed, WCU Alum and the Inaugural Director of Inclusion Initiatives and Social Justice Education at the University of Pennsylvania, gave an incredible talk on Building Meaningful Connections Across Differences, which was a perfect way to wrap up Better Together Days! Thanks to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance for their continued support.

West Chester University’s Interfaith Action Committee put on an interfaith education event called Better Together Day in Sykes Ballroom. In addition to this event, in which students learned about the perspectives of on and off-campus religious, spiritual, and philosophical worldviews, the committee hosted a networking event for the executive members of these on-campus organizations to meet and discuss possible collaborations. These events aimed to further the group's mission of connecting typically independent groups across campus. Both projects were a success, as the networking event involved eight executive members from on campus groups, and the Better Together Day tabling event saw 20 on and off campus partners attend. These events were part of the committee coordinator Joseph Blaney’s Honors Capstone—a 150-hour, research-based, service-learning project. In collaboration with Dr. Zachary Wooten of the Honors College and the newly formed interfaith leadership fellows, the project came to fruition and was able to become more sustainable for student leaders of subsequent years. The work of the students comprising the student Interfaith Action Committee also contributed to this end goal. In addition to the work of these students and their faculty advisor, Patricia Reilly of the Office for Student Leadership and Involvement was involved in making sure that each and every box was checked in preparation for the event. Without the logistical perspective that she afforded the group, many administrative tasks would surely have been missed. With the success of these events, West Chester University can expect to see a heightened sense of cooperation and collaborative action between the previously more separated religious, spiritual, and philosophical organizations on campus.

Recap by: Alex Chura

Better Together Day began as a project of the Interfaith Youth Core to educate college students about the importance of interfaith cooperation. Back in the fall of 2020, I along with Honors alumni Breanna Micolupo initiated virtual Better Together Days. We created a weeklong virtual campaign designed to celebrate interfaith leadership at West Chester. This year, the Interfaith Action Committee brought Better Together Day in person on March 24th in Sykes Ballroom. I have the honor of being the first Interfaith Action Committee coordinator. Several student-led religious organizations and outside religious organizations were present. Our hope was to show students how different organizations from different traditions can come together to make West Chester a more inclusive campus. There were personalized prizes and a live performance from the Honors Student Association choir. We also hosted keynote speaker, Parth Bhansali from the Interfaith Youth Core. Parth spoke of the importance of being an interfaith leader when creating genuine connections with others. We hope that everyone who participated in the Better Together Day celebrations realized the need for interfaith action on campus and the effect it could have on our lives.