University of St. Francis president to participate in Franciscan conference
University of St. Francis President Michael Vinciguerra along with three other USF representatives will join those from 16 different Franciscan academic institutions for the 2006 Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU) symposium, June 22-25 at St. Bonaventure University in New York.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to join with others committed to the Franciscan intellectual tradition for discussion and sharing of resources. The conference will help us add clarity to our Franciscan mission and traditions as we communicate to our publics,” said Vinciguerra, who will be joined at the conference by John Bowers, Ph.D., professor of English; Frank Pascoe, D.A., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Patricia Pascoe, assistant professor of biology.
The AFCU includes 19 institutions across the country that are affiliated with or sponsored by Franciscan religious communities. The University of St. Francis was founded and is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate. The AFCU was established to support the members’ mission of Catholic higher education by providing a forum for dialog as well as to foster and facilitate collaboration among the members.
Conference participants will explore the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition as a Resource for Mission, the conference theme. The keynote address will be by Sr. Mary Beth Ingham, C.S.J., Ph.D., professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She is an expert on the thought of the Franciscan medieval Franciscan scholar John Duns Scotus.
The University of St. Francis in Joliet serves more than 4,100 students nationwide with 60 areas of undergraduate study and 13 graduate programs.