On November 21, 2025, CSR Director Isaac Weiner spoke at a pre-conference workshop for directors of centers of religion and public life at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in Boston, Massachusetts. The meeting brings together thousands of professors, students, authors and publishers to share research and developments in the fields of theology, religious studies and biblical scholarship, and bills itself as the world's largest academic gathering for religion scholars. 60 people attended the pre-conference workshop, coming from a range of large public universities to small liberal-arts colleges. The workshop served as an important opportunity to identify common challenges and share successful strategies.

Dr. Weiner participated in a panel discussion about the role of centers in advancing the study of religion and public life while communicating scholarly research to broader audiences both within and beyond the university. 

Summarizing his experience, Dr. Weiner stated, “it was a privilege to represent the CSR at this gathering and to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate the CSR’s success in building a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of scholars from across the College of Arts & Sciences. Audience members were impressed by our accomplishments. I left the workshop energized and more committed than ever to the importance of our work.” 

Co-panelists included:

Terrence L. Johnson (Religion and Public Life, Harvard Divinity School) 

Brett Krutzsch (Center for Religion and Media, New York University) 

Elizabeth Reiner Platt (Law, Rights, and Religion Project, Union Theological Seminary)

The discussion was moderated by Justine Ellis (Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life, Columbia University).

Some of the topics discussed included:

• Common challenges facing Centers in this political moment
• Successful strategies for communicating our Center’s story and promoting its research
• Differences among different institutional contexts; i.e. public v. private institutions
• Exciting opportunities to advance the public understanding of religion and public life