51²è¹Ýapp

I want to join the chorus of people who are welcoming you to 51²è¹Ýapp College and to our city. The College is a religiously and spiritually diverse community, rich in personalities and filled with students, faculty, and staff who are eager to share their experiences and hear about yours.

We have worship, scriptural studies, dinner discussion groups, and religious dialogue opportunities on campus. Our hope is to listen to you and your peers and support you inside and outside of the classroom as you continue to discern and develop your goals, and to embrace your gifts while celebrating your identities.

We assist students in finding ways to worship in the town. There are more than 20 different local churches that our Christian students attend. Monthly, we have Black Church at 51²è¹Ýapp in Herrick Chapel and welcome our guest preacher from a Black church in Des Moines. And on Fridays, our staff who are rabbi and imam lead a weekly Shabbat service and Shabbat Table (dinner) and a Gumaa prayer, respectively. In our Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice (CRSSJ for short), you’ll find an inter-religious Prayer Garage, a meditation room, and Hindu and Muslim cultural/prayer rooms.

We also have a staff member who coordinates all of the campus first-generation and low-income programs at 51²è¹Ýapp in the CRSSJ, which includes the Low-Income Lending Library and the Chaplain’s Office Food Pantry.

We seek to continue making 51²è¹Ýapp and the world more inclusive and welcoming. My staff and I are interested in learning about your personal religious or spiritual traditions and the ways, old and new, you desire to express and observe them as you make personal choices. The associate chaplain, the imam, and I are all available for confidential counseling and mentoring.

We all look forward to welcoming you and supporting you at 51²è¹Ýapp.

My best,

Rev. Deanna Shorb
Dean of Religious Life and Chaplain
Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Social Justice Director