In November, Rachel C. Schneider, Director of the Boniuk Institute's Religion and Public Life Center, hosted a professional workshop for leaders of other centers and institutes of religion and public life at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Diego, CA. This annual workshop provides a space for community building, networking, and sharing of resources and knowledge for those involved in or leading organizations related to religion and public life.
The workshop opened with a panel exploring the 'state of the field,' and featured seasoned leaders like Justine Esta Ellis, Elaine Howard Ecklund, Philip Goff, and Sebastian C. H. Kim in a discussion about the relevance of their work and the importance of the center/ institute structure in the study of religion. Panelists also shred practical insights into the mechanics of center work.
An interactive workshop provided opportunity for center leaders to share programming successes, discuss challenges facing institutes, and opportunities to share resources and learn from one another.
The day ended with a panel featuring Kalpana Jain, Megan Goodwin, Molly Laas, and moderator Joseph Lennis Tucker Edmonds, who delved into the public-facing side of institute work and included a discussion into media and public engagement. Panelists considered questions about the relevance of research into religion with regards to educating the public on matters of religious themes, and the most effective media tools for getting research out into the public sphere.