Resources

Technical Report

Data from the longitudinal IDEALS study (see below) of students across American higher education campuses revealed the institutional policies, practices, and student experiences that contribute to welcoming campus climates for students of various religious, secular, and spiritual backgrounds, and these findings informed the development of the INSPIRES items. This report describes the full process of how IDEALS informed INSPIRES and the weighting process for assigning the star scores for each domain on the Index.

Data Snapshots

Anyone interested in the “big picture” of institutional policies, institutional practices, and student experiences across North American higher education may access this resource, which includes data collected from 2021-2024.

Responding to World Events

Our team captured institutional responses to the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the immediate aftermath, as well as to campus protests in the months that followed through the Spring of 2024. These snapshots offer recommendations to encourage greater dialogue around world events that have a religious dimension.

IDEALS: A Longitudinal Interfaith Study

IDEALS was a groundbreaking national study of students’ religiosity and their experiences in higher education. 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 their own and other worldviews, and their commitment to bridging religious divides.

Interfaith America

Our partner Interfaith America is a national nonprofit dedicated to inspiring, equipping, and connecting leaders and institutions to unlock the potential of America’s religious diversity. Their team offers tools, resources, and expertise for supporting pluralism and interfaith cooperation in higher education and helps campuses translate INSPIRES results into meaningful change on campus. Connect with Interfaith America by emailing info@interfaithamerica.org.

Presentations & Publications

Presentations

Bowling, R. L., Gill-Morris, A., & Anders-Thompson, E. (2025, April 23). Cultivating Institutional Changes for Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Inclusion. NASPA PRACTICES Series Webinar (Virtual).

Bowling, R. L., Gill-Morris, A., Anders-Thompson, E., & Seligmann, B. (2025, March 18). Cultivating Institutional Changes for Campus Inclusion: Using the INSPIRES Campus Climate Index. NASPA 2025 Annual Conference, New Orleans.

Bowling, R. L. (2025, March 15). Leading the Way: Engaging with Religious Difference (Flash Talk). NASPA 2025 International Symposium, New Orleans.

Gill-Morris, A. (2025, March 17). Campus Protests: Lessons from the Israel-Hamas Conflict. NASPA 2025 Annual Conference, New Orleans.

Mayhew, M. J., Gill-Morris, A., & Creamer, E. (2025). Making Institutional Changes for Campus Inclusion: Using the INSPIRES Campus Climate Index. ACPA Annual Conference, Long Beach.

Bowling, R. L., Mayhew, M. J., Gill-Morris, A. (2025, February 26). INSPIRES Partner Campus Community of Practice Webinar (Virtual).

Bowling, R. L. & Gill-Morris, A. (2025, February 3). Transforming Campus Practice Using the INSPIRES Index. ACSLHE Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.

Creighton, J. (Host). (2025, November). Supporting student spiritual development and religious diversity on campus. SA: Voices from the Field (Season 11, episode 10). [Audio podcast]. https://naspa.org/project/sa-voices-from-the-field 

Publications

Bowling, R. L. & Mayhew, M. J. (2025, March 20). Hasty or Informed Adjustments? Interfaith America Magazine. https://www.interfaithamerica.org/article/hasty-or-informed-adjustments/

Bowling, R.L. & Mayhew, M. J. (2025, February 26). What should boards do? Assessing campus climates and policies for religious students. AGB. https://agb.org/blog-post/what-should-boards-do-assessing-campus-climates-and-policies-for-religious-students/

Bowling, R. L. & Mayhew, M. J. (2025, January 7). Improving campus climates for diverse worldviews. Academe. American Association of University Professors. https://academeblog.org/2025/01/07/improving-campus-climates-for-diverse-worldviews/ 

Mayhew, M. J. & Gill-Morris, A. (2024). College Statements: Voices Of Change Or Virtue Signaling? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewmayhew/2024/11/14/college-statements-voices-of-change-or-virtue-signaling/

Bowling, R. L.  & Dahl, L. S. (2024). Building a spiritual home on campus. Journal of College Admission, Winter 2024, 16-19.

Bowling, R. L., Dahl, L., & Mayhew, M. J. (2023). Index measures campus efforts to create welcoming environments for religious and non-religious diversity. Admitted blog, NACAC (November 30, 2023). https://admitted.nacacnet.org/wordpress/index.php/2023/11/30/index-measures-campus-efforts-to-create-welcoming-environments-for-religious-and-non-religious-diversity/