Affinity Group Pre-Conferences
Thank you to our attendees, planning task forces, speakers, and sponsors for this year's pre-conferences! Additional resources and any available supporting documents from this year's pre-conferences can be found at the links below.
Friday, February 4 & Saturday, February 5, 2022
Dancing with the Elephants in the Church and Higher Education: Naming, Understanding, and Inviting Dialogue with Complexities in Catholic Campus Ministry
Join Campus Ministers from Catholic colleges and universities for an open and authentic dialogue on the current issues facing our church and Catholic higher education today. Our students are longing to belong and connect post-pandemic, and we will draw from the wisdom in the room to tackle today's most pressing issues and provide practical tools for how to minister to today's young adults. With skilled facilitators, themed-round table discussions, and powerful prayer, we are ready to be called back together to learn from each other. Learn more...
Saturday, February 5, 2022 │ 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Rebuilding Community
Despite the challenging ebbs and strains over these almost 24 months, our communities--faculty, staff, students, and administration-- have proven their strength, resiliency, and innovation time and time again. We will celebrate our communities, rejoining together to network, offer support, and provide a variety of mission-related resources. We understand the need for our campus communities to reengage and rebuild ourselves in our newly created normalcy, to strive for civic and civil discourse, and to infuse remote work and online environments while reestablishing and strengthening our faculty teams. Our conference will cover all these topics and more while we reconnect with familiar faces, welcome new colleagues, and embrace our Catholic higher education community. Learn more....
Saturday, February 5, 2022 │ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
In and With Community - Framing and Supporting Engaged Scholarship through a Catholic, Faith-Based Lens
In an effort to form a community of scholar-practitioners involved in service-learning and community engagement, we are partnering with Uniservitate to bring together a team of colleagues from Catholic colleges and universities to explore the past, present and future of Catholic university-community engagement.
In this pre-conference affinity group session, prior to the annual ACCU conference, we seek to establish and frame our unique positionality as SLCE scholar practitioners at Catholic, faith-based institutions, explore opportunities to deepen practice and scholarship, dialogue about potential pathways for collaboration and field-building, and determine next steps for action. Learn more....
Friday, February 4, 2022 | 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
The Institute for New Presidents is a program open to all new and interim presidents of Catholic colleges and universities in their first two years of office. It is an opportunity to network with peers and learn from experienced leaders in Catholic higher education. Learn more...
Saturday, February 5, 2022 │ 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Models of Mission Ministry: As Stabilizer, Unifier, Narrator and Meaning Maker
Mission officers hold a unique place on campus, often called to respond to critical needs of the time as they come along. The previous year has, in more ways than one, sparked new challenges and amplified existing ones for mission leaders who take on multiple roles including being the campus stabilizer, unifier, narrator and meaning maker. Join your fellow mission leaders and engage in conversation on how you've performed these roles, the hesitancies, the possibilities you've come across, and tips on how to best move forward. Learn more...
Saturday, February 5, 2022 │ 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Called to Live Our Mission: Equity, Justice and Transformation
This DEI Institute will provide a forum for senior diversity leaders to develop an equity-mindedness framework combining faith, reason, and eliminating systemic and structural barriers to access and opportunity in Catholic higher education and in the broader society. The conference is structured to be participatory and interactive, featuring keynote speakers, panels, and small group work. We will discuss Catholic Social Tradition and DEI work with a focus on justice and promising practice. Panel presentations will discuss current DEI issues leading to transformative action and will also focus on self-care for those doing our challenging work. Learn more...
Saturday, February 5, 2022 │ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Responding to Our Call
The SSAO seeks to provide opportunities for a student’s personal growth and helps students make healthy decisions within a framework of Catholic values. Given their critical role, this pre-conference will provide an audience to share and receive practical advice on leading student life; assess an understanding of the student affairs vision; and discuss how student affairs seeks to develop students spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and physically in the context of Catholic values and Christian community. Learn more...
Friday, January 14, 2022 │ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm | Virtual Webinar
Friday, February 4, 2022 │ 8:30 am – 4:30 pm | Capital Hilton, 16th Street
Compassionate Leadership: Tapping into This (Too Often Hidden) Force for Good
The history of Catholic higher education is marked by strong women leaders and the congregations of religious women that founded many of our institutions. We are now at a pivotal moment in history, as lay and religious women are being called to carry forth the rich legacy of our colleges and universities as senior leaders and presidents. Join us as we explore ways to further support women to meet current leadership demands and thrive in Catholic higher education executive positions. Learn more...