Marie Griffith, PhD (second from right), director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, shares a laugh with former U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth of Missouri and his wife, Sally, and their daughter Mary Danforth Stillman after Griffith was installed as the John C. Danforth Distinguished Professor in the Humanities. Griffith came to WUSTL from Harvard University in 2011 to lead the scholarly and educational center that focuses on the role of religion in politics in the United States. The title of her installation address was “Reflections on Studying Religion.” Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Provost Holden Thorp, PhD, both spoke at the installation ceremony, held Sept. 4 in Holmes Lounge. A daylong conference, “U.S Religion and Politics in Multidisciplinary Perspective,” also was held Sept. 4 in conjunction with Griffith’s installation and the Sept. 3 installation of her husband, Leigh E. Schmidt, PhD, as the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor. (Mary Butkus/WUSTL Photos)