IDEALS: Bridging Religious Divides Through Higher Education
To what extent is the collegiate experience preparing students to be successful leaders in our religiously diverse society?
Learn more Research
IDEALS
Bridging Religious Divides through Higher Education
To what extent is the collegiate experience preparing students to be successful leaders in our religiously diverse society?
Read the Report
About Our Research
What did we study?
IDEALS explored a fundamental question: To what extent is the collegiate experience preparing students to be successful leaders in our religiously diverse society?
Who was involved?
Students on 122 U.S. campuses — including liberal arts colleges, religiously affiliated institutions, and public universities — participated in IDEALS from 2015–2019. At three points in their college careers, they were asked about their on-campus interfaith experiences, their knowledge and appreciation of different worldviews, and their commitment to bridging religious divides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does religious diversity matter?
To address growing polarization in the United States, Americans need the skills and knowledge to effectively engage with people whose beliefs differ from their own.
Why study college students?
College is distinct in the way it brings diverse people together to live, work, and interact in a sustained way, so there is much to learn from these experiences about how to foster interfaith cooperation.
What are the most important things we learned from IDEALS?
Our research highlighted five major themes about college students’ interfaith engagement, their knowledge and attitudes toward different religious groups, and their commitment to bridgebuilding.
Who should use IDEALS findings?
Our findings have direct implications for stakeholders at all levels of higher education: presidents and VPs, faculty, and student affairs practitioners.
How can I learn more about the research?
IDEALS research is featured in a variety of reports available for download on our website.
IDEALS Research
Friendships Matter: The Role of Peer Relationships in Interfaith Learning and Development
Are students more likely to have at least one close inter-worldview friendship after their first year on campus? In what ways do these relationships affect student attitudes and personal growth?
Learn moreBest Practices for Interfaith Learning and Development in the First Year of College
What conditions, educational practices, and experiences help first-year students to accomplish milestones in their interfaith learning and development?
Learn moreNavigating Pluralism: How Students Approach Religious Difference and Interfaith Engagement in Their First Year of College
How do students perceive campus climate and navigate interactions with diverse others, particularly those who do not share the same worldview?
Learn moreEmerging Interfaith Trends: What College Students Are Saying About Religion
How do students make meaning of their worldview identities? And, importantly, how do college students meaningfully engage across lines of worldview difference?
Learn moreINSPIRES Campus Climate Index
Inspired by data gathered through IDEALS, this institutional assessment tool sheds light on institutions’ efforts toward, and commitment to, establishing a welcoming campus climate for students of different worldview identities.
My hope is that any institution that participates – no matter how welcoming their climate is right now – will engage in a great conversation about how to best support their students’ exploration and development of their spiritual, religious, and secular identities.
About IDEALS Co-Creators
Dr. Alyssa Rockenbach
Alyssa Rockenbach is a professor of higher education and Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University.
Learn moreDr. Matthew J. Mayhew
Matthew Mayhew is the William Ray and Marie Adamson Flesher professor of educational administration with a focus on higher education and student affairs at The Ohio State University.
Learn moreIDEALS Race & Religion Research Collective
Dr. Kanika Magee-Jones
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Special Assistant for Interfaith Programming Howard UniversityDr. Sable Manson
Assistant Director for Student Leadership and Development for the Dornsife Joint Educational Project University of Southern CaliforniaDr. Keon McGuire
Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and Faculty Affiliate with the School of Social Transformation Arizona State UniversityDr. Darris Means
Associate Professor and Dean’s Faculty Scholar in Equity, Justice, and Rural Education University of PittsburghDr. J.T. Snipes
Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Southern Illinois University, EdwardsvilleDr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad
Founder and President Muslim Wellness Foundation
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