In this article, the author states that The University of Michigan has been at the forefront of efforts to create a campus learning environment in which all students, faculty, and staff feel respected and valued. In two widely publicized cases decided in 2003, the university defended its affirmative action policies before the U.S. Supreme Court on the premise that racial and ethnic diversity contributes significantly to student learning and prepares students for life in a diverse democracy. Recent developments involving higher education and religion have made it clear that religious diversity is equally important for student learning. Last January, they received a grant from the Ford Foundation, as part of its Difficult Dialogue initiative, to help them create an environment on campus in which religious difference is seen as an opportunity for study and exchange, rather than a source of silence, animosity, or fear. The grant period runs through February 2008. Furthermore, the author discusses the different grant activities which represent an ambitious attempt to explore the role of religion and religious pluralism at a public research university involving faculty and staff members, students, and community members. Although the time frame of the grant is relatively short, it is helping them to build on the university's solid record of grappling with difficult issues. Only by engaging with these conflicts can they fulfill the highest aspirations of the university: to prepare students to assume leadership roles on campus and in their communities and to embrace and model respect for diversity, including religious pluralism. (Contains 1 note.)