Photo by Kielinski Photographers, LLC
The Dialogue Institute is proud to be affiliated with Temple University College of Liberal Arts as an affiliated center.
The office for the Dialogue Institute and Journal of Ecumenical Studies is located in Mazur Hall 642 on Temple University’s main campus. Mazur’s 6th floor has historically been home to Temple’s Department of Religion. DI-JES moved back to Mazur (formerly Anderson) Hall in 2024 after residing on the third floor of 1700 N. Broad Street for over a decade. Prior to that, the office was located on the 5th floor of Mazur.
Scroll down to learn more about the DI’s involvement with Temple University. Amid Ismail, Dean of Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, serves as liaison between the Dialogue Institute Board of Directors and Temple University.
Our Founder
Leonard Swidler, co-founder of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies and founder of the Dialogue Institute, taught in Temple’s Department of Religion for 56 years. Read more about Prof. Swidler’s life on our Founders’ page.
Department Chair Khalid Blankinship and Professor Laura Levitt presented certificates to participants in a Dialogue Institute program for global leaders in 2023.
Dr. Gity Etemad sharing her experiences of navigating religious differences as a physcian.
Department of Religion
The Dialogue Institute remains a strong partner with the Department of Religion, and it is the primary entity through which the DI relates to the university. For selcect Dialogue Institute programs, the religion departments approves certifications issued by the office of Noncredit and Continuing Education.
Len Swidler donated funds to established an endowed professor position.
Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
Amid Ismail, dean of Temple’s School of Dentistry, serves as liaison between the Dialogue Institute Board of Directors and Temple University. The dental school has frequently hosted international visitors in Dialogue Institute programs. The “Tree of Peace” sculpture in front of the school is by French artist Hedva Ser, the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Diplomacy. It is one of 12 such installations around the world and stands as a symbol of intercultural dialogue.
Temple University Rome
Temple University’s campus in Rome hosted the UNESCO Art Camp and Dialogue in 2024.
With funding from the Enlightened World Foundation, the Dialogue Institute partnered Temple University and UNESCO to provide cross-cultural and dialogue training for a cohort of Italian-born artists and artists living as refugees and immigrants in Rome.
Temple University Rome’s campus dean, Emilia Zankina (R), giving remarks at the closing art exhibition.
Dr. Amid Ismail addressing students about need for dialogue in the practice of medicine.
Temple University’s Amid Ismail, Dialogue Institute staff, UNESCO staff, and a cohort of diverse artists outside the Rome campus.
Mapping Spaces of Meaning
In March 2024, students and professors partnered with Temple University’s IDEAL office and the Dialogue Institute to launch a religious diversity exploration project in North Philadelphia titled “Mapping Spaces of Meaning”.
The map serves as a guide for students to connect with sacred spaces on and beyond campus.
Students in front of the Tuttleman Learning Center promoting participation in the mapping project.
