in november 2004 hoover with the assistance of lynn schofield clark wrote a proposal for the establishment of the center. they identified project areas that later became the center's foci. research works remained to be the foundational activity for the center. in addition, the center seeks support for senior, faculty and post-doctoral fellowship program that help shape ongoing research and scholarly projects in the field of media, religion and culture. the center also hold lectures, seminars and formal conferences both independently and in cooperation with other institutions such as new york university and the university of southern california in an effort to bridge the academy with religious communities, industries and the wider public. furthermore, it acts as the global secretariat for the international conferences on media, religion and culture that started in uppsala, sweden, in 1994 and it has become the prominent conference in the field.