Expanding the Dialogue: Reaching a New Generation of University Audiences with Science and the Big Questions

The scientific advances anticipated over the next twenty-five years are profound. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the powers of genetic science – to name a few – are challenging our fundamental notions of what makes us human, and what a virtuous life looks like. At the same time, scientific discoveries are offering new spiritual information to meet these challenges. The purpose of this project is to build upon our previous work with The John Templeton Foundation to meaningfully advance the conversation on science and the big questions and character and virtue development among students, faculty, and the university community. We plan to do this via: 1. Engaging in-person audiences of students and faculty in North America and Europe via 120 campus-wide Veritas Forums that raise the big questions, promote the best scholars, and invite dialogue. 2. Engaging the new generation of digitally-native college students via a robust digital-first and mobile-first strategy that includes the production of 75 podcast episodes, 30 full-length videos, 18 video interviews, 130 video clips, 510 social media posts, and a rebuilt veritas.org website. 3. Equipping 750+ students at top 40 universities with public engagement training, writing, and publication support through 3 student conferences and 3 week-long summer institutes. 4. Equipping leading scholars to speak and write on science and the big questions as well as character and virtue development for our growing Veritas Media platform as well as other national outlets via Veritas Riff training (12 scholars) and additional speaker presentation training (30 scholars). By investing in this four-fold strategy we believe we can help conversations on science and the big questions and character and virtue development become a central feature of the university landscape, eventually engaging millions of students and faculty each year.