Religion undeniably impacts life in modern society in numerous ways. In the U.S., discussions about religion in public life often start at the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution as fundamental to the separation of church and state. Public higher education does not necessarily share established associations with any religion, but is not free from religious influence. Although Christian influences are undeniably present on public campuses, educators hesitate to discuss religion and spirituality due in part to a pedestrian understanding of the establishment clause and epistemologies that artificially equate secularism with intellectualism. This paper examines case studies conducted at five public U.S. institutions. Focus groups and interviews highlight what different public campuses are doing to address religious diversity, and how they are succeeding or failing to accommodate the needs of students. Findings indicate that executive leaders’ attitudes towards religious diversity on campus are essential for sustained interfaith efforts, but fell short without bottom-up buy-in. Faculty in particular served as key bottom-up leaders for interfaith motivation on campus with students often feeling most comfortable exploring different worldviews within the classroom. This study provides reasonable and responsible pathways toward helping locate religion within public education, and substantiating interfaith ideas as necessary for an informed and responsible global citizenry.

Many researchers have discussed the feasibility of teaching and learning practical skills, such as playing a musical instrument, through distance education. One of the central issues considered in music education is that of motivation, leading educators to wonder how students might remain motivated when learning music at a distance. In this article, I use self-determination theory (SDT) as a lens for examining existing literature on distance music education to identify elements of learning environments that may contribute to, or detract from, the fulfillment of students’ psychological needs. I oriented my reading of the literature toward offering insights on the nature of motivation in online music education and providing educators with tools informed by SDT to maintain and nurture motivation when teaching music online.

The purpose of this study was to examine first-year change in appreciative attitudes toward Muslims by non-Muslim students. To this end, we longitudinally assessed 6229 undergraduate students at the beginning and end of their first year in college. We performed a hierarchical linear modeling analysis and found evidence that Muslim appreciation can change as a result of exposure to and participation in the first year in college, specifically through provocative encounters that are adequately supported by administrative practices designed for helping students interact productively. Implications are discussed.

The United States' higher education landscape includes over 600 colleges and universities affiliated with a Christian denomination. Many of these institutions employ faculty whose worldview identities depart from the Christian ethos of the campus. The present study draws on case study data to examine how worldview minority faculty members make sense of the climate for religious and spiritual diversity at church-affiliated colleges and universities. Findings illuminate how worldview minority faculty members navigate tensions between their identities and church-affiliated institutional contexts. We use the concepts of worldview climate and identity taxation to explore the ways in which these faculty distinctively support worldview minority students in both official and unofficial capacities, and the important role these faculty play in advocating for nondominant perspectives on campus.