CSRS governance

Billboard, Nauru 2007
Detail, Billboard, Nauru 2007 by Lorrie Graham, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. Used under CC BY 2.0 license.

The CSRS is governed in accordance with the University of Victoria's Policy on Research Centres and by its own charter, the CSRS Enabling Document (updated in 2020).

The three governing bodies of the centre are defined below.

CSRS Program Committee

The CSRS Program Committee is made up of University of Victoria faculty members elected for three-year terms by the members of the centre. The committee reviews all academic projects undertaken by the centre, adjudicates fellowship applications and provides liaison to UVic faculties and departments. Ex officio memberships are held by the Associate Vice-President Research and the chair of the CSRS Advisory Council. The committee is chaired by the director of the centre.

2023/24 Program Committee members

  • Chair: Paul Bramadat, CSRS Director
  • Evanthia Baboula (Art History and Visual Studies)
  • Alexandra D'Arcy (Linguistics)
  • Shamma Boyarin (Religion, Culture and Society) 
  • Patrick Boyle (Music)
  • Maneesha Deckha (Law)
  • Amy Verdun (Political Science)

Ex officio

  • Cynthia Milton (AVP-Research)
  • Peter Scales (Chair, CSRS Advisory Council)
  • Oliver Schmidtke (Political Science, CFGS director)

CSRS Advisory Council

The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from external academic, faith and community organizations and includes both local and international members. The mandate of the council is to provide a forum for interdisciplinary dialogue and reflection on the purposes of the CSRS and to assist the centre in its relations with the external community.

2023/24 Advisory Council members

  • Chair: Peter Scales, Unitarian

  • Peter Beyer, University of Ottawa

  • Grace Wong Sneddon, University of Victoria

  • Rory Dickson, The University of Winnipeg

  • Chris Goto-Jones, the University of Victoria

  • Kate Newman, Anglican Diocese

  • Lynn Greenhough, Rabbi at Kolot Mayim Reform Temple

  • Rubina Ramji, Cape Breton University

  • Gurdeep Singh, Victoria Sikh Community

  • Paul Gareau, University of Alberta

  • Gwen Jahelka, Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria 

CSRS Membership

Membership is open to all continuing (i.e., tenured or tenure-stream) Faculty Members of
the University of Victoria who wish to contribute to the activities of the Centre. Members are expected to demonstrate an interest in: the activities of the centre; the scholarly study of religion and society; both the collegiality and citizenship that animate the centre’s ethos.

Non-regular faculty (e.g., adjunct, emeritus, or sessional) at the University of Victoria who demonstrate an interest in the Centre and a capacity to contribute to its activities may also be appointed as Members.

Members receive notice of CSRS events and announcements, gain valuable networking and research opportunities and may hold positions on the CSRS program committee.

Joining is easy - just send an e-mail to indicating your name, department and contact information and we'll contact you for further assistance.