About
Cody holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Iowa State University and masters degrees in mental health counseling and divinity. He is the founder and Executive Director of Convergence on Campus, a North American volunteer led social change organization which seeks to dismantle longstanding systems of marginalization of religious, secular, and spiritual identities in higher education as a part of anti-racism and decolonialism frameworks. His 2013-2015 study Multifaith in Higher Education explored the campus climates through a policy and practice lens of over 150 institutions across the United States and Canada. The former Expert in Residence for Religious, Secular, and Spiritual identities for NASPA, Cody is an emerging voice in national calls for equity of religious minorities and non-religious identities on campus. A scholar by practice (not by nature), Cody's dissertation considered the institutional climate of Penn State University and its Pasquerilla Center.
Current Work
My work centers around the idea that religious, secular, and spiritual identities must be further incorporated into diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations. I work on research institutional and organizational systems through policy and practice evaluation to understand how these identities are potentially being marginalized and how to use anti-racism and decolonizing frameworks to improve them. For instance, do non-Christians in higher education experience the same level of welcome and accommodation as is already part of the ethos of a Christian-minded calendar unconsciously offers to Christian students. Are food options made available? Are non-religious identities denied rights on private Christian colleges due to their lack of religious beliefs. These are areas of inquiry, and they are unique often to DEI conversations. I believe that we have often failed to address these conversations and the impact of white Christian privilege and supremacy within research and practice.
Research Area Keyword(s)
religious, secular