UNIONDALE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 9, 2025 / Marquis Who's Who recognizes Ann Marie B. Bahr, PhD, for her long-standing commitment to strengthening democracy through higher education. A scholar of religion with more than 30 years in academia, Dr. Bahr is celebrated for her dedication to interreligious dialogue and liberal arts education.

From Geology to Religious Studies

A U.S. Presidential Scholar in high school, Dr. Bahr entered college with wide-ranging intellectual interests. Though she majored in geology at Lawrence University, from which she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1972, she was equally drawn to chemistry, physics, anthropology, music, religion and political science. Her passion for interdisciplinary study led her to pursue religious studies, earning a Master of Arts from Stanford University in 1976 and a PhD from Temple University in 1989.

A Career Shaped by Innovation

While completing her doctorate, Dr. Bahr taught at Temple, Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), and LaSalle University. In 1988, she joined South Dakota State University (SDSU) as a tenure-track professor in Philosophy and Religion, becoming full professor in 1999. She taught there for 24 years and continued teaching online until 2019, even after relocating to Vermont in 2012.

At SDSU, Dr. Bahr developed responsive curricula: a post-9/11 course on the Middle East, a four-part geography of religion series, and a tutorial in Native American philosophy. She also collaborated with the Dialogue Institute at Temple University to facilitate interreligious dialogue workshops.

Her national contributions include serving on the American Academy of Religion's task force for K-12 guidelines and contributing to "Encountering Faith in the Classroom" with her essay, "Religion and Reason: Higher Education's Opportunities and Challenges."

Throughout her career, Dr. Bahr has emphasized personal growth, pluralist coexistence, and understanding global religious dynamics

Scholarship and Public Engagement

Dr. Bahr has also left a mark through her publications. She was the editor of Chelsea House's "Religions of the World" series for young adults and authored the volumes on Christianity and indigenous religions. She later served as chief consultant and academic editor for "Christianity: The Illustrated Guide to the Story of Christianity," an international project.

Her most cited article, "The Right to Tell the Truth," published in "The Chronicle of Higher Education," warned of political interference in academia. It led to her invitation to the 2005 Wingspread Conference on Religion and Public Life, where she helped draft the Wingspread Declaration. Other notable works include "People of Place, Ethics of Earth" and "Interreligious Dialogue, Community Cohesion, and Global Citizenship," both in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies.

She has held leadership roles with the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion, and regional academic organizations. Civic commitments include years of service on the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities and the Brookings Human Rights Committee, which honored her with the Dorothy and Eugene T. Butler Human Rights Award in 2012.

Looking Ahead

Originally planning to focus on research about religion along the Silk Road in retirement, Dr. Bahr now feels called to public scholarship, addressing the global crises where religion plays a key role. Her enduring mission: to serve others through education, understanding and truth.

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