Kevin Minister, PhD

Dr. Kevin Minister is an Academic Associate at Essential Partners as well as a Professor of Religion and Director of Shenandoah Conversations at Shenandoah University. Kevin helps design and facilitate trainings for faculty and students on using dialogue practices in classrooms and across campus.

Beginning in 2018, Kevin collaboratively designed and implemented Shenandoah Conversations, a university-wide initiative that uses practices from reflective structured dialogue to promote student self-reflection and engagement with multiple perspectives in relation to course content. As part of the leadership team for Shenandoah Conversations, Kevin has trained and supported more than 150 undergraduate and graduate faculty in teaching through dialogue as well as more than 275 student fellows equipped to support faculty by facilitating dialogues in the classroom. This program has integrated competency in dialogue as part of general education for every undergraduate.

Kevin’s research and scholarship seek to understand how we prepare students to engage across religious difference, including cultivating resilient learning environments where students can bring their full selves, forge mutual understanding across difference, and experience the power of civil dialogue. As a scholar of interreligious studies, Kevin teaches courses including “Navigating Religious Diversity”, “Religious Diversity and Civic Cooperation”, and “Religion and Ecology”.