ACCU’s Rome Seminar-Understanding the Catholic Mission

Father Jay Fostner is the Vice President for Mission and Student Affairs at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. Outside of his academic and administrative duties at the college, Father Jay Fostner is a member of Association of Catholic College and Universities (ACCU), an organization that serves as the voice of Catholic programs in higher education in the USA, and carries out its mission in several ways through programs such as the annual Rome Seminar.

College presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders who belong to ACCU travel to Rome to experience first-hand the spiritual and intellectual heritage of the Catholic Church. The program is coordinated by the staff of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas, and ACCU staff. It offers participants an in-depth tour of the Eternal City and the Vatican, including conversations with officials from the Holy See and Rome’s pontifical universities.

As a part of the seminar, attendees learn about the different charisms, or spiritual gifts. They visit significant religious sites of the Catholic order, and they hold conversations with the Pontifical Councils of Culture, the Promotion of the New Evangelism, and Promoting Christian Unity, in addition to having discussions with representatives from the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Princeton Review Names St. Norbert on Best in the Midwest List

Father Jay Fostner, Vice President for Mission and Student Affairs at St. Norbert College, has participated in some of the achievements of the small Catholic liberal arts institution located in De Pere, WI. As one of the administrators, Father Jay Fostner has helped increase retention rates of students of color for two consecutive years, and has assisted the university with endowments from organizations such as Carnegie. More recently in Father Fostner’s tenure, St. Norbert College earned the distinction of being named one of the best colleges in the Midwest by higher education service Princeton Review.

The Best Colleges list appears on the Princeton Review website, which currently lists the school in the Best in the Midwest category for 2021. Visitors to the site can see the ranking comprising 655 schools from four regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West) in the US, and internationally. Schools that made the list in the Midwest region spanned 12 states.

Princeton Review chose St. Norbert primarily because of its strong academic program. The company reviewed data compiled from administrators in the region who had been surveyed; from staff visits throughout the year; and opinions from college advisors and counselors. The Princeton Review also used opinions of students. This information was collected from surveys distributed to students which asked them about their educational experiences.

Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Membership Benefits

Based in De Pere, WI, Father Jay Fostner has been working at St. Norbert College as the vice president for mission and student affairs since 2011. Father Jay Fostner consistently attends the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) annual conference, where he keeps current with his profession.

An association serving nearly 950,000 students in over 200 catholic institutions in the US, the ACCU was created to strengthen these colleges and universities and promote the catholic mission in higher education. ACCU members are also nonprofit, and their catholic identity is confirmed by a credible source such as the Vatican Index or The Official Catholic Directory. ACCU acts as a voice of catholic higher education by representing members with the US Department of Education and other public bodies.

Member organizations, colleges, or universities can take advantage of numerous benefits. For instance, ACCU members receive access to valuable resources, such as copies of the Journal of Catholic Higher Education, a subscription to the association’s quarterly newsletter, and access to tailored research and special reports about catholic higher education. Other benefits of ACCU members are consultations on best practices, and opportunities to network with other institutions’ leaders through the ACCU Annual Meeting, the annual Peace & Justice Meeting, and other events.

Three Core Traditions of St. Norbert College

The vice president for mission and student affairs at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI, Father Jay Fostner holds a doctorate of philosophy in clinical psychology. Father Jay Fostner recently published a chapter in the book “Student Life in Catholic Education: Advancing Good Practice”, where he discussed dealing with a student’s death.

The only Norbertine college in the world, St. Norbert College embraces the ideal of communio practiced by Norbert of Xanten in the 12th century. Communio is lived through a sense of community that revolves around collaboration, open dialogue, and consultation.

The three core traditions of the college are Catholic, Norbertine, and liberal arts. The Catholic tradition aims to use knowledge to advocate for a Gospel-based vision of justice, and to search for the truth through a dialogue among reason, faith, and culture. The Norbertine tradition is based on both individual and communal prayer and reflection, while the liberal arts tradition promotes dialogue between cultures and beliefs.

Through living the three core traditions, St. Norbert College students are encouraged and allowed to develop as whole selves spiritually, intellectually, and personally. Inside and outside the classroom, they cultivate prayer, study, reflection, play, action, and wellness.