Santa Clara University

Collegium

The Collegium summer colloquy developed in response to the long-standing concern among educators and church leaders for the future prospects of the religious identity of the many Catholic colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Catholic institutions have found it increasingly difficult to uphold their faith-based mission statements and identify, recruit, and develop new faculty who can both articulate and expand the vision of the Catholic intellectual tradition. Collegium, a national organization of Catholic colleges and universities, was founded in 1992 to respond to these challenges. In July, 2002, Collegium became a part of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), which includes over 200 members in the United States and Canada. This affiliation provides us contact with a wider scope of Catholic institutions, college presidents, and educational organizations. Our membership of 62 Catholic colleges and universities constitutes a distinct subgroup within the ACCU, and the ACCU delegates authority to the Collegium board to make decisions about our work. Though the ACCU is headquartered in Washington, D.C., Collegium's offices and ongoing operations are located at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. The program engages faculty from all traditions to discover how they can make a particular contribution to their institution's identity that respects and explores Catholicism's traditions and goals, while also respecting and taking advantage of their own religious perspectives and talents. Since its founding, Collegium has developed into one of the most significant national institutions for fostering the integration of faith and the intellectual life on Catholic campuses.

Collegium sponsors annual summer colloquies for faculty from its member institutions and for advanced graduate students from universities throughout the United States and Canada. The colloquies provide a collegial environment in which participants from diverse backgrounds, faiths, and disciplines can discuss the sources and implications of a Christian academic vocation. Sixty-five to seventy-five fellowships are offered annually to faculty from Collegium's member institutions and to graduate students who apply on a competitive basis.

Santa Clara University through its Ignatian Center sends one or two delegates a year to attend this colloquium.

For more information on Collegium click here.