ABSTRACT
Higher education researchers have explored religion and spirituality and the connection to college student development. While spirituality and religion can overlap for some individuals, both terms have different meanings. While college students have a high interest in spiritual development and some college students expect colleges and universities to play a role in the facilitation of their spiritual development. Part of the problem may be higher education and student affairs leaders and educators conflate religion and spirituality, and conversations related to these topics are seen as crossing a professional line, especially at secular colleges and universities. Scholars have also discussed how spirituality and religion have been used to further marginalize students based on sexuality, gender, race, and religious and worldview minoritized identities. Additionally, researchers have also used “worldview” to describe the “guiding life philosophy that may encompass religious, spiritual, or nonreligious perspectives”.
