April 2020 - RPUC renewal by IAS

RPUC has been renewed for the 2020-21 academic year by the Institute for Advanced Study.

January 2020 - RPUC receives IDEA grant

Faculty in the Religious Studies Program have received a Faculty Driven Initiative Award from the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA) to augment the work of the Religion and the Public University Collaborative, sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study.

October 28, 2019 - RPUC in the Minnesota Daily

Researchers explore why religion is lacking in "broad conversations" at UMN.

April 9, 2021 - Religion, Public Education, and Diversity: A Pre-Conference Colloquium

The RPUC sponsored a colloquium on issues related to religion and public universities in conjunction with the 2021 spring meeting of the Upper Midwest American Academy of Religion. The colloquium was held on April 9 (preceding the conference on April 10). You may view the recorded colloquium here.

November 6, 2020 - The Resilience of Religion in American Higher Education

For decades the secularization narrative dominated discussions of religion on campus. While capturing important trends, it underestimated the resilience of religion in higher education. Reflecting the diversity of American religious life, today’s university is a spiritual marketplace, where sacred and secular cross paths on the campus green. Drawing on their recent book, John Schmalzbauer (Missouri State U) and Kathleen Mahoney (GHR Foundation) provided an overview of the changing role of religion in student life.

September 26, 2020

Jeanne Kilde talk at the Minnesota Daily’s First Amendment Celebration. Kilde spoke on the topic: “Religion, Religions, Religious: The Problem of Definition and Why Religious Freedom is Illusory”