2008 ASACCU CONFERENCE "Educating with Purpose,
Transforming Hearts & Minds"  ~  July 23-26, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

Villanova University is pleased to host the 2008 conference for the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities.  The conference theme is Educating with Purpose, Transforming Hearts and Minds.  This year's conference will also highlight the recent publication by ACCU, ASACCU, and JASPA entitled "Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities."

The conference offers a unique opportunity for professionals working on Catholic campuses to gather from around the country to learn from one another.  At the conference we invite you to share your best practices, your lessons learned, your successes, and your challenges.  As St. Augustine wrote, “Action is thoughtless without knowledge and without action knowledge is barren.” Let us increase our action and our knowledge together.

 The conference goals are:

• Promote an understanding of the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and its relevance for student affairs professionals
• Share tools, resources, and best practices for building and sustaining programs that support student learning within the context of Catholic higher education
• Enrich the integration of faith and reason for our diverse student populations through co-curricular opportunities, and
• Build community among student affairs professionals who work at Catholic Institutions

We hope many of you will decide to attend, and consider presenting a session at the conference.  The Call for Programs is available on line, and program submissions are due by March 31, 2008.  Be part of the conversation and share your experience and knowledge with your colleagues!

Villanova's campus is located about 12 miles west of Philadelphia.  Our suburban campus provides a lovely setting in the summer, with beautiful architecture surrounded by an arboretum.  We are also very excited to be able to offer an evening at the National Constitution Center in nearby Philadelphia.  On Thursday, July 24, 2008, you will have the chance to visit the interactive National Constitution Center, dine together there, and visit historic Philadelphia.  On Friday evening, you will have the option of visiting King of Prussia Mall, going to see the Philadelphia Phillies play the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Park, or venturing back to Philadelphia for more exploration of the city on your own.

As the conference co-chairs we look forward to the engaging and thoughtful programs that will be offered at the conference and to your participation in it!  Please contact us with any questions you may have.  We hope to see you in Philadelphia this July!

Conference Contact Information: