Schedule of Events

Monday, July 9

All events take place at the College of Saint Benedict.

2-6 p.m.
Registration and Check-in
Gorecki Center, First Floor Lobby

5-6:15 p.m. 
“Tornado” Social
Gorecki Center, Room 204

6:30-8 p.m.

Opening Plenary Session and Dinner  

Gorecki Center, Room 204

Understanding the Current Narrative

What is the current narrative around higher education in general, and the liberal arts in particular? What are the implications for inclusion, institutional success, teaching and learning, and our economic model? How are we called to lead in this environment? Educators must frame and answer these urgent questions; otherwise, others will do it for us.

8-9 p.m.
Social Hour and Dessert Buffet
Gorecki Center, First Floor Lobby

Tuesday, July 10

Daytime events take place at the College of Saint Benedict.
Evening events take place at Saint John’s University.

7:30-8:30 a.m.
Hot Buffet Breakfast
Gorecki Center, Upper Lobby

Workshop One: 8:30-10:45 a.m.

Reframing the Narrative: Leadership Toward an Inclusive Curriculum
Gorecki Center, Room 204

8:30-9:15 a.m.

Plenary Remarks

How do we reframe the current narrative about teaching and learning in our institutions? Specifically, we will discuss efforts to make curricula more inclusive by decentering the curriculum and engaging in experiential learning and other high-impact practices; and, by making explicit the disciplinary links to employment and professional development.

9:15-10 a.m.

Models for Success

Dr. Buffy Smith, University of St. Thomas

10-10:45 a.m.

Facilitated Practice in Teams

Dr. Amy Hamlin, St. Catherine University

10:45-11 a.m.
Morning Break
Gorecki Center, Upper Lobby

Workshop Two: 11 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

Reframing the Narrative: Leadership Toward Positive Outcomes for All Students
Gorecki Center, Room 204

11-11:45 a.m.

Panel Discussion

What structures, resources and people do we need in place to ensure the success of all students we serve in our sector? How do we ensure we are attentive to not only the transactional and professional crafting of our students, but that we are equally engaged in the transformational work demanded of us as we engage with, and are engaged by, our students?

Noon-1:30 p.m.

Buffet Lunch and Plenary Session

Saving the Liberal Arts Requires a Renaming Not a Reboot

Extensive Gallup research points to a clear disconnect between the words “liberal arts” and their perceived value and meaning across key constituencies including prospective college students and the general public. Although the words are not well understood and do not resonate, the underlying pedagogy of liberal arts is as valuable and needed as it’s ever been. In studying the work and life outcomes of liberal arts graduates, there is a clear and contemporary value proposition to made for a liberal education, including, key insights for how to strengthen it in practice. But let’s not call it liberal arts!

1:30-2:45 p.m.

Models for Success and Practice in Teams

2:45-3 p.m.
Afternoon Break
Gorecki Center, Upper Lobby

Workshop Three: 3-5 p.m.

Reframing the Narrative: Leadership Toward a New Economic Model in Higher Education 
Gorecki Center, Room 204

3-4 p.m.

Panel Discussion

How do we address the current narrative regarding the broken economic model in higher education? What strategies can make our institutions both more accessible and sustainable? How do we lead toward financial sustainability in the face of the current narrative?

4-5 p.m.

Models for Success and Practice in Teams

  • Mr. Jon McGee, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

5-9:30 p.m.
Trasportation available to and from Saint John's University
Gorecki Center Bus Stop

6-7 p.m.
Dinner
Great Hall - Quadrangle

7-8 p.m.

Plenary Session

Stephen B. Humprey Auditorium

Creating a Globally Engaged Campus

What does it mean to be a globally engaged campus? How might we imagine a more global liberal arts that educates and inspires a generation of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local community members with the capacity to work on complex problems that span diverse cultural perspectives? Dr. Weinberg will lay out a series of principles and early action steps to move campuses in this direction.

8-9 p.m.
Social Hour and Dessert Buffet
The Saint John's Bible Gallery, Alcuin Library

A special afterhours event featuring original folios from The Saint John’s Bible.

Wednesday, July 11

All events take place at College of Saint Benedict

7:30-8:30 a.m.
Hot Buffet Breakfast
Gorecki Center, Upper Lobby

8:30-9:30 a.m.

Plenary Session

Gorecki Center, Room 204

Late Bloomers and Liberal Arts

America's mania for early measurable achievement -- grades, SAT scores, the "right" college admission, the perfect first job -- is causing more harm to society and individuals than good. Forbes publisher and futurist Rich Karlgaard explains how this came to be, and why it runs counter to both science and deeper human truths. Karlgaard shares findings from his 2019 book, Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement.

Workshop Four: 9:45-11:30 a.m.

Reframing the Narrative: Leadership Toward a New Public Narrative
Gorecki Center, Room 204

9:45-10:30 a.m.

Panel Discussion

How do we dismantle the current negative narrative about higher education generally and the unique concerns on our individual campuses specifically? As we think through what is demanded of us on our campuses, in our regions and nationally, what is the story we would like to tell about our work and how our sector is constitutive to democracy and the American dream? How do we engage in and utilize design thinking to take back to our campuses what we have learned and prepare to lead toward success for all students?

10:30-11:30 a.m.

Models for Success and Practice in Teams

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Buffet Lunch and Closing Plenary Session

Gorecki Center, Room 204

Higher Education and the Transformation of American Society: A 50-year Perspective

  • Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • Introduction by Dr. Mary Dana Hinton, College of Saint Benedict
  • Concluding remarks by Dr. Mary Dana Hinton and Dr. Michael Hemesath, Conference Co-Hosts

A book signing with Dr. Hrabowski will follow his presentation.