Author: jayfostner

A respected presence in the De Pere, Wisconsin, educational community, Father Jay Fostner functions as the vice president for mission and student affairs at St. Norbert College. Having earned the Educator of the Year Award for his work teaching psychology and theology, Father Jay Fostner now dispatches administrative obligations encompassing diverse aspects of campus life, including not only health and safety, but also student service and learning.

Historic Norbertine Site Tongerlo Abbey

 

St. Norbert’s alumnus Father Jay Fostner returned to his alma mater to teach psychology in 1997. Father Jay Fostner now leads many of the college’s on and off-campus programming as the vice president of Mission and Student Affairs. He is also a member of the Norbertine tradition.

Founded by a Norbertine abbot in the late 1800s, St. Norbert’s College has upheld the traditions of the Norbertine Orders for more than 120 years. One of the most important religious sites to the Norbertine tradition is Tongerlo Abbey, a nearly 900-year old Belgian monastery.

The abbey houses several significant artworks and religious books dating from the Middle Ages. A replica of the Last Supper painted by Leonardo Da Vinci with help from his students was given to the abbey in the mid-1500s. After surviving several catastrophic events, the painting was moved to the nearby Da Vinci Museum, built in 1960.

Tongerlo Abbey is also renowned for its massive library of liturgical books, some of which originate from the early 1500s. The abbey donated several of its duplicate books to the St. Norbert’s College Center for Norbertine Studies.

St. Norbert College Donates to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin

For more than two decades, Father Jay Fostner has served as vice president of mission and student affairs at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. Father Jay Fostner has also been a counselor at the college and has taught students as an assistant professor of psychology. St. Norbert maintains a strong commitment to giving back to the community, and recently, it raised more than $55,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

The funds were raised by students, staff, and faculty through the seventh annual Dance Marathon at the college, at which participants stay on their feet dancing for more than 13 hours, considered the athletic equivalent of running a half marathon. Local families whose children had been treated at the Children’s Hospital spoke about their experiences during the event.

All of the proceeds from the Dance Marathon go directly to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, a vital resource for families in the greater Milwaukee area.

Chickering’s Psychosocial Theory of Student Development

For more than two decades, Father Jay Fostner has worked at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. First joining the institution as a counselor, he now serves as the vice president for mission and student affairs. In this capacity, Father Jay Fostner is responsible for everything from overseeing campus safety to promoting student development.

College students don’t all develop at the same pace. While some seamlessly transition from dependence to independence, others struggle with fitting in or finding their place. These differences are explained by student development theory, an examination into how students grow and develop during their time in college. This theory is divided into four broad categories, one of which involves psychosocial theories.

Psychosocial theories explain how people grow during their lives, and look at how students define themselves and their lives. While there are a few psychosocial theories of student development, perhaps the most well known is that of Arthur Chickering. Chickering’s theory lays out seven stages of development that students move through as they attend college. For most students, the first four stages are tackled during the first two years in college, while the last three stages are seen during a student’s last two years.

The seven stages identified by Chickering begin with developing competence. During this stage, students become more interpersonally and intellectually competent, while also advancing their physical and manual skills. From there, students learn to manage emotions, become autonomous, develop mature relationships, and establish identities. These four stages involve such things as increasing emotional freedom and developing interpersonal tolerance.

Finally, students develop purpose and integrity. These stages help students develop career goals and personalize values.