Work
The activities of the Ronning Centre include:
Augustana Distinguished Lectures
The Augustana Distinguished Lectures were initiated through a bequest from the family of Magda and George Hendrickson. Annually, by means of the Hendrickson Memorial and Distinguished Visiting Fellows Endowments, we host a prominent thinker who will reflect on some vital aspect of religion and public life.
Conversations on Religion and Public Life
During each academic term, the Centre hosts a series of distinguished experts in Camrose, who engage the public on current issues of religion and public life.
Ronning Centre Symposia
The Centre joins with various institutional partners in bringing scholars, activists, public servants, and professionals together to deepen their knowledge and exchange insights on the most difficult current issues.
International Fellows Program
A new initiative, the International Fellows Program aims to connect public intellectuals with students, faculty, and community members on local, national, and global levels.
Every other year, the Centre will bring nationally and internationally recognized intellectuals to the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta for a conference, to engage students, faculty, and the general public. These guests will participate in outreach activities such as conducting lectures, seminars, and workshops; and will prepare op-ed and briefing papers on current issues pertinent to the intersection of religion and public life. These activities will engage the following communities:
- public and private universities (Canadian and international)
- various religious communities
- civic/governmental agencies and organizations
- journalists and other members of the media
The Centre employs a Postdoctoral Fellow to help organize the conference and additional programming, and to work toward publishing and disseminating research that emerges from the conference.
Selected Topics in Religion and Public Life
AUREL 271 is a course taught by various Augustana faculty, offered to students at the Augustana campus in years past. The course explored a current set of issues on religion and public life and was also open to the public. Due to staff turnover and budget constraints, the course was not offered in 2019-20. Details regarding the future of this course will be shared here.
Spirit of the Land Conference
(Currently on hiatus) In connection to the AUREL 271 course, an annual conference was held at the Augustana campus, sponsored by the Ronning Centre. With AUREL 271 not being offered in 2019-20, it seemed like an opportune time to take a sabbatical from the conference as well and explore how land-based education can continue at Augustana with the resources we have. Details regarding the future of this conference will be shared here. Details on past conferences are available on the Spirit of the Land website.