The Jensen Symposium was held at the University of Cincinnati in December 2003 to honor the pioneering contributions of Dr. Elwood Jensen to the field of nuclear hormone action. Those in attendance were treated to an outstanding scientific program that served as an update of recent progress and illustrated the breadth of activity in the nuclear receptor field. Here we highlight recent findings presented at the Symposium that provide new insights into the mechanisms of nuclear receptor action and the diverse roles of members of the nuclear receptor superfamily in development and homeostasis.