School of Social Work

In 1947, New York University rented and renovated 2 Washington Square North as a religious center with quarters for the Christian Association (later re-named the University Christian Foundation), the Jewish Culture Foundation, the Newman Club, and the Library of Hebraica and Judaica. Between 1948 and 1956, the building was maintained by the House Committee which consisted of representatives from the clergy, professors, and students involved in the Washington Square religious organizations. This committee was responsible for setting policies regarding the use of the building and insuring its proper maintenance.

The Board of management also operated between 1948 and 1956. This board consisted of clergy, faculty, and student representatives. Chaired by Dean Thomas Pollock of Washington Square College, the board was responsible for setting general policies regarding the religious groups on campus and for coordinating their activities.

In March 1956, as the result of the University Self-Study, President Carroll Vincent Newsom established the Interfaith Committee. It immediately replaced the Board of Management and a few months later, when a resident manager was appointed, the House Committee was dissolved. Members of the Interfaith Committee (the name was changed in 1957 to the Interfaith Council) were appointed by the president of the university. The IFC consisted of 12 members, including three from the NYU Board of Chaplains, three religious directors, three faculty members at large, and three students. The goals of the IFC were to develop ties and cooperation between the religious groups on campus and between the religious groups and the university, to encourage student attendance at religious services, and to study the needs of religious groups to adjust the university budget to accommodate them.

During the 1940s and early 1950s there was an Interfaith Council at the Altschul House on the Heights campus. It was dissolved before the IFC at Washington Square was created and was reactivated in 1969 -- just as the Washington Square IFC was dissolved. The Washington Square and University Heights religious groups were in contact with one another but other than occasional courtesies (such as when Washington Square first moved in to 2 Washington Square North the Altschul House at the Heights sent them a couch), the two campuses' religious organizations were not connected.

The IFC employed a secretary and a resident manager. These were full-time positions which ran from September through June. They were usually taken by part-time students.

The IFC began with only the Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish organizations as its members. In the 1960s, its character changed to include Hindu, BaHai, and other groups. In its first few years, the IFC sponsored ecumenical discussions, art shows, and dinners. In the late 1960s, it sponsored a series of lectures on the draft and aided the Gay Liberation group in disputes with the university administration.

In 1961, the IFC adopted a resolution to support the building of the "Interfaith Triangle Center at Washington Square." This was to consist of three separate buildings for the Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish groups located in a triangle around the Loeb Student Center on Washington Square South. This proposal was in response to the need felt for greater space. They believed that the close proximity of these three buildings would maintain the opportunity for interfaith cooperation while providing each group with more space.

In the summer of 1964, the Catholic Center at 58 Washington Square South was opened. They continued to keep one room at 2 Washington Square North in order to maintain their ties with the other groups. The University Christian Foundation and the Jewish Culture Foundation were never able to build their buildings. In late 1978, the School of Social Work moved into 2 Washington Square North, the JCF moved into new quarters in Loeb Student Center, and the UCF moved into a room in 21 Washington Place.

In 1967, in recognition of the profound changes in the student body since the IFC's inception in 1956, the IFC proposed that a new self study be conducted. Its goal was to explore ways of including a wider range of religious groups in interfaith activities, to create a closer relationship between the religious groups at the Heights and at Washington Square, and also to examine the role of religion in the entire university. This study was carried out during the 1969-1970 academic year. In 1970, the IFC was dissolved and a Committee on Faith and Life at NYU under the Office of Student Affairs was created.

From the guide to the Records of the Interfaith Council of Washington Square College, 1948-1970, (New York University Archives)