Two conferences hosted on campus are generating significant response in higher-education circles and putting St. Norbert College in the spotlight.
The May 23-25 Sport & Society event demanded extensive preparation. “We easily started planning in March 2015 for our 2016 event,” says Keith Sherony (economics), conference director. “It’s a good 15 months of planning that goes into something like this, but it’s worth it.”
This year, University of Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez was the keynote speaker, and his address was open to the public.
St. Norbert partners with the Green Bay Packers on the conference, with some of the events held at Lambeau Field. This year’s theme was “The Business of College Sports.” This was the first Sport & Society Conference to be dubbed international.
The college’s own Sport & Society Conference convened for the fourth time, while the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU) conference will meet at St. Norbert for the first time.
The Rev. Jay Fostner, O.Praem., vice president for mission and students affairs at St. Norbert College and a member of the ASACCU board, says the college filed a proposal to host the organization’s 2016 event and was excited to have been chosen.
“They’re looking for a Catholic college that exemplifies the best in Catholic education, and it’s great we were chosen,” he says.
During the July 19-22 student life conference (themed “The Way I See It: Catholic Higher Education Through the Eyes of Our Students”), 100 to 150 people from 40 different Catholic schools will be on campus utilizing a variety of facilities from the abbey for Mass to Michels Commons, from the library to the residence halls where attendees will be staying.