CHAP to Host Historian Ronit Y. Stahl on Sept. 19

PC welcomes acclaimed historian Ronit Y. Stahl for a special lecture titled "What Makes a Hospital Religious? A Guide for the Perplexed" on Friday, September 19, 2025. The event, part of the Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP), will be held at the PC Theater at 7:00 PM and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Stahl is the Gary and Donna Freedman Chair in Undergraduate Education and an associate professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also a faculty affiliate of the religious diversity cluster of the Othering and Belonging Institute and the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion. Her award-winning book, Enlisting Faith: How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America, was published by Harvard University Press in 2017.

In her presentation, Dr. Stahl will explore the complex and often-confusing question of what defines a hospital as "religious" or "secular." She will delve into the historical context of this issue and discuss its profound implications for healthcare access, a topic that has challenged courts, legislators, patients, and clinicians alike.

The CHAP program at Porterville College is committed to providing enriching and thought-provoking events for the campus community and the wider public. This lecture is free and open to all interested individuals.

For more information on the CHAP program at PC, you can visit the CHAP Web Site at https://www.portervillecollege.edu/about-pc/chap/index.html or contact CHAP Coordinator Leslie Keele at leslie.keele@portervillecollege.edu.