Religion, Spirituality, Secular Identity Starter Pack

Every single year, millions of college students come onto college campuses with little to no understanding of their rights related to religious, spiritual, and secular identities. How we protect them and their identities is a question that we have yet to solve. How can a university provide safety for students to express and live out their identities as whole persons?

Join Cody Nielsen alongside Hal Ossman, Chief Campus Officer for Hillel International for a one-hour discussion that will include conversations about the model itself, the way Hillel professionals are recruited and trained, and conversation about the BDS movement and what it means to the Jewish community on campus.

Hindu populations in the United States, while small, are growing and will continue to grow especially on our college campuses. The needs of Hindu students are diverse and important, and despite the small population of the group, their needs should be taken seriously. In this briefing, Hindu students will be discussed at length and beliefs and belief systems of Hindus understood and explained.

Our college campuses are becoming increasingly a global environment where all forms of diversity are visible and need support. The religious identity of Muslim students from across the world is no different. Hear from Amer Ahmed, Director of Intercultural Teaching and Faculty Development at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst about this important and timely topic.

As a prominent and global tradition, Sikhs hold a special and important place in the spectrum of religious, secular, and spiritual identities in the world. Join Expert in Residence Cody Nielsen alongside preeminent scholar Dr. Simran Jeet Singh for this informative discussion that will unravel some of the mystery surrounding Sikhs and will help professors better support the lives of these students.

The rise of those described as “nones” or those who are not religiously affiliated has steadily increased on college campuses for years. Perceptions that the “nones” are all atheists or anti-religious is prevalent. But Chris Stedman, one of the leading voices in the humanist community in the United States has much to say when it comes to understand those that fall within this category, and specifically those who describe themselves as humanist. Join us for this in depth discussion where we’ll discuss what it means to be humanist in America and on our campuses.

Christianity has shaped higher education, even at U.S. institutions that are not currently or historically religious. But how does it shape our work in student affairs, and how can we be equipped to understand the impact of Christian privilege on our students, our work, and ourselves? As our colleges and universities become more religiously diverse, it is increasingly important for student affairs professionals to understand Christian privilege at the personal and institutional levels. Join the panelists as they unpack Christian privilege in student affairs.

Sharon Parks and Cody Nielsen will look at the emerging trends about leadership development, values, and meaning making in higher education, answering questions about how higher education professionals can respond to the complexity of needs surrounding students in today’s day and age.