THE CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGE

  Today, we face a truly new situation:

·        Cultural issues of race relations, refugees and even genocidal conflict in Africa, the Balkans and elsewhere need to be replaced by mutual appreciation.

·        Globalization, in transcending colonialism and political hegemony, must be made to draw the multiple cultures into cooperative alliances.

·        Spiritual values begin to take on renewed importance in deepening aspirations for human fulfillment. Nowhere has this become more obvious and more crucial for world peace than in the new openness between religions at the roots of the great civilizations.

All this implies a challenge to draw together the many research competencies in the humanities and to provide focus and implementation for this new global situation.