Valparaiso University hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new interfaith center on campus.
The ceremony featured comments from Dr. Hytham Rifai as well as a Muslim prayer led by his daughter, Jenna Rifai, who graduated from the university in 2021.
Valparaiso University President José Padilla, U.S. Congressman Frank Mrvan and Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas spoke at the event.
“We are all different in our origin, beliefs, and cultures, but we are also all human, and should engage in conversations that help us accept each other,” Dr. Rifai said in a press release.
The Rifai Institute will serve as a center for interfaith and intercultural dialogue. It is dedicated to promoting love, acceptance and cultural awareness. This center will also help students broaden their cultural perspectives.
“Our nation was founded on freedom, and freedom of religion — a freedom that recognizes our diversity,” Mrvan said. “That diversity is our strength in the Northwest Indiana region.”
Former university president Mark Heckler played a key role in the initial planning stages for the Rifai Institute. Heckler was involved in the selection of land parcels and helped navigate the board approval process. Padilla, as the university’s current president, has supported the project.
“What we’re doing here today is symbolic of this Lutheran University,” Padilla said. “It symbolizes that we are open to all faiths.”
The project involved an architect from the Middle East to ensure cultural authenticity and a local architect to meet all code and construction requirements. Construction is scheduled to be completed within 12 months.
Many of Dr. Rifai's family members and children attended Valparaiso University. He is a longtime resident of Northwest Indiana.
Valparaiso University serves nearly 3,000 students. The university offers over 70 undergraduate programs. It has over 20 degree and certificate programs in its graduate school and continuing education. Valparaiso University was founded by Methodists in 1859 as an institution pioneering coeducation.
