SIG Focus: Catholic Educators

From the April 20, 2016 NACAC Bulletin:

Co-Leaders of the Catholic Educators Special Interest Group:
Stephen Pultz, University of San Diego (CA)
Michele Diehl, Gwynedd Mercy University (PA)

NACAC Special Interest Groups (SIGs) nurture the growing diversity in our association by providing “micro” communities where members can network and add value to their membership experience. These smaller subsets of members are formed for the purpose of knowledge sharing and discussion among members with similar interests whether they are specific subjects, issues or type of institution, or students they serve.

The Catholic Educators SIG is intended to bring together educators from Catholic secondary schools, Catholic colleges and universities, as well as Catholic educators who work at secular institutions.  As a group, we hope to promote the exchange of ideas dealing with the many challenges our institutions face. From how institutions go about recruiting Catholic students, to how religion is used in the admissions decision, to how financial pressures are changing the Catholic identities of our campuses, our members share best practices and explore new ways of addressing these challenges.

Currently, the SIG is chaired by two board members of the National Catholic College Admission Association (National CCAA). With over 135 higher education members and connections with thousands of high school counselors, National CCAA is uniquely positioned to coordinate this important group. Our presence at NACAC, our web site, and the famous reception we host during the annual conference all help bring together Catholic educators in promoting our special educational opportunities.

During the SIG meeting at the national conference, we encourage you to bring your ideas, challenges, and successes. At recent meetings, we have addressed recruiting strategies and practices, special circumstances related to our particular (and varied) orders, and sought suggestions for our collective recruitment, enrollment, and financial challenges.

We also hope our members will take advantage of the SIG’s Exchange Group, keeping the dialogue, the networking, and the connections going between conferences. For those attending the NACAC National Conference in Columbus, National CCAA offers our booth in the vendor area as a gathering place to meet friends and colleagues, an annual reception, and a SIG meeting where we can reflect on connections and experiences during the conference. Please let us know if you have items or topics we can discuss during the meeting.