For over twenty years, I have served one or more university campuses in Humanist chaplaincies: assisting colleague Barbara Myerson at Columbia University; as chaplain at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY; and returning to Columbia, as well as adding New York University, where we are called religious life advisers and spiritual life advisers, respectively. Although the Pew Research Center (https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/religion/) reports a significant increase in religiously unaffiliated people aka “nones” and young people who identify as SBNR or “spiritual but not religious,” there are only a handful of us serving their needs on campuses of higher education. This needs to change. I’ll share with you my experiences and hopes for the future.

Anne Klaeysen retired as clergy leader of the NY Society for Ethical Culture two years ago but continues to serve the campuses of Columbia University and New York University as chaplain. She is also co-chair of The Encampment for Citizenship and serves on the board of Ethical Culture Fieldston Schools. She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hebrew Union College and masters degrees in German from SUNY Albany and business administration from NYU. She is a member of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture where she was married and raised her two children.