Secular Student Alliance

In 1999, the students on the Executive Council of the Campus Freethought Alliance, along with some other students, faculty advisers, and off-campus supporters, decided that a national student organization needed autonomy (the Campus Freethought Alliance was governed by the Council for Secular Humanism).[2] Therefore, in April 2000, a majority of the members of the Campus Freethought Alliance Executive Council decided to become independent from the Council for Secular Humanism.[2] The Secular Student Alliance was thus founded in May 2000 by eight student leaders from the grassroots secular movement.[2] It was organized under the nonprofit corporation laws[3] of Ohio on November 21, 2001.[4] The corporation's principal office is located in Columbus, Ohio.[5]

The SSA is an independent, democratically structured organization in the U.S. that promotes freethinking high school and college students. The SSA was formed "to organize, unite, educate and serve students and student communities that promote the ideals of scientific and critical inquiry, democracy, secularism, and human based ethics".[6]

In January 2012, the SSA had over 312 affiliates in North America and abroad, including groups in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia.[7] In June 2013, the SSA announced that with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, it will work on educating students on their rights and will assist with rectifying violations.[8][9] The SSA is a founding member of the Secular Coalition for America.

In October 2015, SSA tweeted that it "desperately" needed $100,000 by the end of the month. Executive director August Brunsman said fundraising had lagged.[10] In October 2017, shortly after the hiring of new Executive Director Kevin Bolling, the organization relocated from Columbus, Ohio, to Los Angeles.[11]

The SSA has experienced increasing membership growth since its founding.[12] As of May 2018, the SSA's Board of Directors has twelve members. The number of SSA community college and university campus affiliates has expanded considerably in recent years:[13][14]

• 2007 – 80 groups
• 2008 – 100 groups
• 2009 – 159 groups
• 2010 – 219 groups
• 2011 – 240 groups[15]
• 2012 – 413 groups
• 2013 – 407 groups[16]
• 2018 – 276 groups[17]
• 2019 – 312 groups[18]

Executive director August Brunsman at SSACon 2015

On August 7, 2009, the SSA organized a trip to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. 304 students, atheists, and scientists attended, in order to familiarize themselves with the museum.[6] One notable name in attendance was PZ Myers, who also came to experience the museum.[19]

Since 2009, the SSA has held their Annual Leadership Conference over the Summer which aims to train student leaders and group members in leadership skills and grassroots organizing.[20] In 2013, the conference was split into two locations (East and West).

The SSA holds an annual leadership conference.

• Equal Access Act
• List of secularist organizations
• Ryan J. Bell

• Hibbard, Laura (July 17, 2012). "Teacher Allegedly Brags To JT Eberhard Of Secular Student Alliance That Atheist Student Group Was Blocked (PHOTO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
• Supiano, Beckie (February 27, 2011). "A Group for Secular Students Finds Its Way on a Christian Campus". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
• Black, Nathan (September 21, 2009). "US sees increase in secular student groups". Christian Today. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
• Abbamonte, Angela (September 18, 2009). "Atheists groups double in size on college campuses". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved October 6, 2009. The number of atheist or agnostic student groups on U.S. campuses has more than doubled in the past two years – from 80 to 162 – according to the Secular Student Alliance (SSA), the national organization for the secular student movement.
• Brunsman, August E (December 28, 2005). "A Brief History of the Secular Student Alliance" Archived March 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Secular Student Alliance. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

• Secular Student Alliance website