St. Norbert College

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St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College Main Hall

Established: 1898
Type: Private
Endowment: US $62,950,000
President: Dr. William Hynes
Faculty: 109 full-time, 70 part-time
Undergraduates: 2,015
Postgraduates: 57
Location: De Pere, Wisconsin, USA
Campus: Suburban, 38 Buildings on 93 Acres bordering the Fox River
Colors: Green and Gold
Website: http://www.snc.edu/

St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin (a suburb of Green Bay). St. Norbert College was founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, and named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. Frances I. Van Dyke, a seminarian, was the first and, at the time, the only student. In 1952, the college became coeducational and today enrolls about 2,000 students.

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[edit] History

St. Norbert College was established when Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Dutch immigrant priest from the Premonstratensian abbey of Berne (Netherlands), founded the college to train young men for the priesthood. St. Norbert is the first and only institution of higher learning in the world sponsored by the Premonstratensian order. Abbot Pennings later discovered a need for higher education in northeastern Wisconsin, and started a commerce program at the college for lay students. Abbot Pennings retired in 1955.

St. Norbert's second president, Father Dennis Burke, expanded the college, anticipating the student population would eventually reach 2000. Dr. Robert Christin, who became president in 1968, implemented the course system and the academic divisional structure. In 1973, Neil Webb, a former faculty member and vice president, became president. Dr. Webb had strong fiscal management abilities and established the first substantial permanent endowment for the school.

Serving as the college's president from 1983 to 2000, Dr. Thomas Manion brought national recognition to the institution and led the expansion of facilities and the development of additional academic programs. Under his leadership the enrollment topped 2000, and extensive renovations and construction activities expanded the college's physical facilities.

Dr. William J. Hynes serves as current president. However, after seven years of serving as the sixth president of St. Norbert College, Dr. Hynes announced on May 16, 2007, that he will be passing on his leadership role to a new president at the end of June 2008. On February 28, 2008, St. Norbert announced that Mr. Thomas Kunkel, Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park, will become the seventh president of the college, effective July 1, 2008.

[edit] Academics

Burke Hall
Burke Hall

St. Norbert offers undergraduate programs (leading to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Music, or Bachelor of Business Administration degree) in more than 40 areas of study. A program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is being offered jointly with the Bellin College of Nursing. Although SNC considers itself to be a liberal-arts college, fewer than half of its students major in one of the liberal arts; the most popular undergraduate majors are Business Administration (22%), Education (18%), and Communication (12%). [1] Regardless of their major, students enrolled at St. Norbert College complete a 12-course (48 credit) General Education Program that emphasizes writing and ensures a liberal education. In addition to its undergraduate offerings, St. Norbert College offers masters-level graduate programs in education, theological studies, and, starting in 2008, liberal studies.

In the past 15 years, St. Norbert has consistently been ranked as one of the top five comprehensive (Bachelor's-level) colleges in the Midwest, by U.S.News & World Report.[2] Starting in 2008, however, SNC was re-categorized as a national liberal-arts college, and now appears in the third-tier of the US News rankings. In addition to its overall ranking, US News listed SNC as a "great school, great price" and an "A+ School for B Students." The college is also listed among the "best in the Midwest" by Princeton Review.

[edit] Athletics

St. Norbert College Football Helmet
St. Norbert College Football Helmet

The St. Norbert College Green Knights participate in NCAA Division III athletics in the Midwest Conference. Varsity sports include: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, cheer and dance, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, men's hockey, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's softball, women's swimming, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track, women's track, women's volleyball.

St. Norbert's Men's Ice hockey team competes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. St. Norbert has had much success in the NCHA and won the Division III national championship in 2008. The St. Norbert hockey team has been the NCHA regular season champions from 1997-1999 and 2002-2008, and have won the post season tournament in 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008. They have been one of the most successful Division III hockey teams over the past decade[citation needed]. St. Norbert also hosts a lacrosse club team participating in the Great Lakes Lacrosse League.

The Green Bay Packers conduct training camp here having done so since 1958, making this the league's longest training camp relationship between a team and school. In exchange, the Packers donate their used equipment and give St. Norbert yearly grants.[3]

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] References

[edit] External links