St. Norbert College (SNC) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Norbertine The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

De Pere, Wisconsin De Pere ( ) is a city located in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,410 according to the 2020 Census. De Pere is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. History At the arrival of the first European, Je ...

. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a

priest and educator, the school was named after Saint

Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was can ...

. In 1952, the college became coeducational. , the school's enrollment is 1,939 students.

History

St. Norbert College was established when Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Dutch immigrant priest from the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

Berne Abbey Berne Abbey, a Dutch abbey of the Premonstratensians, or Norbertines, in Heeswijk, North Brabant, is a religious community in the Netherlands. It has 27 brothers and priests (2007; down from 33 in 2005). The community publishes a bi-monthly magazi ...

Heeswijk Heeswijk is a Dutch village. It is located in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. History The village was first mentioned in the 12th century as "Albertus de Essuic", and means "settlement in the shrubbery". Heeswijk ...

, the Netherlands, founded the college to train young men for the priesthood. Francis Ignatius Van Dyke, a seminarian, was the first and, at the time, the only student. St. Norbert is the first and only institution of higher learning in the world sponsored by the Premonstratensian order. Abbot Pennings later started a commerce program at the college for lay students before retiring in 1955. St. Norbert's second president, the Rev. Dennis Burke, expanded the college, anticipating the student population would eventually reach 2,000. Robert Christin, who became president in 1968, implemented the current course system and the academic divisional structure. In 1973, Neil Webb, a former faculty member and vice president, became president. Webb established the first permanent endowment for the school. Serving as the college's president from 1983 to 2000, Thomas Manion led the expansion of facilities and the development of additional academic programs. Enrollment topped 2,000. Thomas Kunkel, former dean of the

Philip Merrill College of Journalism The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is a journalism school located at the University of Maryland, College Park. The college was founded in 1947 and was named after newspaper editor Philip Merrill in 2001. The school has about 550 undergr ...

at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

, became the seventh president of the college in 2008. Since then, the college has constructed the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center, the Gehl-Mulva Science Center, the Cassandra Voss Center, Michels Commons, Schneider Stadium, the Mulva Library, Gries Hall, Ariens Family Welcome Center and Todd Wehr Hall. Brian J. Bruess, a 1990 graduate of St. Norbert College and former executive vice president and chief operating officer of

St. Catherine University St. Catherine University (St. Kate's) is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. C ...

in St. Paul, Minnesota, became president in 2017. Although he announced on November 1, 2019, that he would not continue in his position as president after the end of the 2019–2020 academic year, uproar from the college community led to further discussion between Bruess and the SNC Board of Trustees that resulted in a multiyear contract. Four members of the board, including the chair, resigned shortly thereafter. In March 2022, Bruess announced his appointment as the inaugural president of the

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are two closely related private, Catholic higher education institutions in Minnesota. The College of Saint Benedict is a women's college located in St. Joseph, while Saint John's Univ ...

, beginning in July 2022. Kunkel, who served as president from 2008 to 2017, will serve as interim president of St. Norbert College, beginning in July 2022, while the college searches for its ninth president.

Academics

St. Norbert College offers undergraduate programs in more than 80 areas of study, leading to a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

, or

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

degree. A

Bachelor of Science in Nursing The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN, BScN) also known in some countries as a Bachelor of Nursing (BN) or Bachelor of Science (BS) with a Major in Nursing is an academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by an accredited ...

degree is also offered through a joint effort with the

Bellin College of Nursing Bellin College is a private nursing school and graduate school in Bellevue, Wisconsin. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Bellin College was founded as Deaconess Sanitarium Training School for Nurses in 1909 by Dr. Juliu ...

. The most popular undergraduate majors are Business Administration, Biology and Education. In addition to its undergraduate offerings, St. Norbert College offers three master's-level graduate programs in business administration, theological studies and liberal studies. The Master of Theological Studies department hosts a branch program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where program studies take place at the Norbertine Abbey of Santa Maria de la Vid. Students on that campus can earn the full M.T.S. degree. In the fall of 2015, the college began offering an MBA program through its new Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics. The Medical College of Wisconsin's Green Bay campus, which serves the northeast Wisconsin region, is located in the new Gehl-Mulva Science Center at St. Norbert. In 2022, St. Norbert was ranked 117th among "National Liberal Arts Colleges" by '' U.S. News & World Report''. The college is also ranked 118th among "Liberal Arts Universities" in

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

's 2019 list of America's Best Colleges. The Mulva Library provides digital and in-person reference services; hosts the Digital Commons, an institutional repository of documents, media, and other materials online; and provides a makerspace with technologies for the academic community. It is the home of the Center for Norbertine Studies, the international center of research on the

Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

and

Norbertines The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

. The library also holds the college archives and the college's café (Ed's Café).

Campus

The campus consists of , much of which borders the Fox River. As a residential campus, students typically walk to classes year-round. The many trees and statues on campus provide a scenic view, especially in fall, when the foliage changes colors. Directly behind the Campus Center is a pavilion and marina where St. Norbert hosts a picnic for students to kick off the school year. This shoreline area is also the venue for "Knights on the Fox" – a free summer concert series open to the community. Important social buildings include the Ray Van Den Heuvel Family Campus Center (Campus Center), which includes a fitness center, gymnasium, and diner (Phil's Diner) and a reading lounge with a picturesque view overlooking the Fox River. There is also an events hall for movies and public speakers. Special events put on by student groups are also held there, such as comedian appearances and awareness speeches. Old St. Joseph Church, which is still an active church, was built in 1890 and renovated in 1998. It is located on the site of a former mission chapel that was erected for early settlers by the French-born Jesuit priest Rev. Charles Albane in 1676. The chapel stood for nearly 200 years. An all-wood structure was built in 1870, but it burned to the ground after a lightning strike in 1889. It was rebuilt in its current form as a brick structure in 1890. The church contains a statue/shrine of Saint Joseph that was crowned by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

in 1891.

Novena A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pen ...

devotions are held on Wednesday. The old St. Boniface Church (built in 1883) is owned by St. Norbert College. In 2013, it was renamed Dudley Birder Hall in honor of longtime St. Norbert College music professor, Dudley Birder. It was also converted into a performance arts center following a $1.7 million renovation. It is now used for recitals, chamber concerts, Dudley Birder Chorale rehearsals, and public lectures. Much of the campus is located in what is now the St. Norbert College Historic District.

Student life

Student housing

About 86% of students live on campus in residence halls, apartments and townhouses. St. Norbert requires all traditional undergraduate students not registered as commuters to live on campus. Freshman housing includes three traditional residence hall options: Madelaine-Lorraine Hall (co-ed), Sensenbrenner Hall (Co-ed), and Bergstrom Hall (co-ed Honors students). Campus housing options for sophomores include Mary Minahan McCormick Hall, Michels Hall, and Victor McCormick Hall. Upperclassmen enjoy single-person dorm rooms such as Burke Hall, the Townhouses and Carriage House (apartment-like housing), college-owned houses and college-owned apartments, including Gries, Xanten and Prémontré Halls.

Student involvement

There are more than 100 registered student clubs and organizations on campus. St. Norbert encourages its students to become involved in their community through community service and by participating in one of the 15 fraternities, sororities, and independent social groups. The school also has eight National Honor Society chapters, two student publications, and eight musical and performance ensembles. A major activity that St. Norbert students participate in is the annual "Into The Streets" community service project that provides service to organizations in De Pere and neighboring communities. This event is staffed by first-year students, staff and faculty, and is part of the First-Year Experience program. In 2013, the old St. John’s Lutheran Church (originally built in 1932) was reopened as the Cassandra Voss Center following a $2.7 million renovation. It was named after former St. Norbert College student Cassandra Voss, who tragically died in a car accident at age 21. Before her death, she was on track to become St. Norbert College’s first student to graduate with a major in women’s and gender studies. The building now features offices, study space, performance space, a kitchen, a classroom, and a library. The Cassandra Voss Center offers a variety of programs “exploring intersectional issues of identity and inclusion” and “fostering dialogue on topics related to justice and identity including racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism”.

Greek life

Greek life at St. Norbert includes four sororities and three fraternities, as well as two Greek governing groups. Greek groups sponsor fund-raising activities, food drives, and benefits to support charities. Greek groups collectively completed a total of 2,117 hours of service and raised $9,638 for their respective philanthropies during the 2015–2016 school year.

Fraternities

There are three fraternities on the St. Norbert campus:

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

(ΚΣ),

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

(ΦΔΘ), and

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an internat ...

(ΤΚΕ).

Sororities

There are four sororities on the St. Norbert campus:

Alpha Xi Delta Alpha Xi Delta (, often referred to as A-''"Zee"''-D ) is a women's fraternity founded on April 17, 1893. Baird's Manual is also available online hereThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage at Lombard College in Galesburg, Illinois, United Stat ...

(ΑΞΔ),

Delta Phi Epsilon Delta Phi Epsilon () may refer to: *Delta Phi Epsilon (professional), the professional foreign service fraternity and sorority *Delta Phi Epsilon (social) Delta Phi Epsilon ( or DPhiE) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North Ame ...

(ΔΦΕ),

Kappa Beta Gamma Kappa Beta Gamma () is a sorority founded at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1917. History On , twelve women of Marquette University founded the campus' first sorority, Kappa Beta Gamma. The founders, and first officers of this gr ...

(ΚΒΓ), and

Theta Phi Alpha Theta Phi Alpha (), commonly known as Theta Phi, is a women's fraternity founded at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor on August 30, 1912. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage Theta Phi Alpha is one of 26 nation ...

(ΘΦΑ).

Athletics

The St. Norbert College Green Knights participate in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

athletics and were members of the

Midwest Conference The Midwest Conference (MWC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the Midwestern United States in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The Midwest Conference was ...

from 1982 through the 2020–2021 season. In Fall 2021, they joined the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference. St. Norbert offers 23 varsity sports including: football, men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, men's and women's swimming and diving, softball, baseball, men's and women's track and field, cheerleading, and dance. The Green Knights men's hockey team has appeared in 19 NCAA

Tournaments since 1997. The team has 12 Frozen Four appearances and won the national championship in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2018, while placing as national runner-up in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2016. The Green Knights football team has won 17

championships since joining the league in 1984. The

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

have conducted training camp on the St. Norbert campus since 1958, making this the NFL's longest training camp relationship between a team and school. In exchange, the Packers donate their used equipment and provide St. Norbert yearly grants.

Notable alumni

* Chris Ayers, Hollywood cartoonist * Nicholas J. Bichler, Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1935–42, 1951–52) * Vernon Biever, photographer and author * William W. Brash III, Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge *

Robert John Cornell Robert John Cornell, Premonstratensians, O.Praem (December 16, 1919 – May 10, 2009) was an American Catholic Church, Catholic priest, professor, and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

(1975–79) * N. Patrick Crooks, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice (1996-2015) * William J. Duffy, Wisconsin jurist and legislator * Tom Durkin, sportscaster *

James H. Flatley Vice Admiral James Henry Flatley Jr. (June 17, 1906 - July 9, 1958) was a World War II naval aviator and tactician for the United States Navy (USN). He become a fighter ace credited with shooting down six enemy aircraft in aerial combat. Early li ...

, U.S. Navy vice admiral * Lawrence J. Fleming,

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

Major General * Ted Fritsch, Jr., football player * Chester A. Gerlach, Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1972) *

Herbert J. Grover Herbert J. "Bert" Grover (born February 5, 1937) is a retired American educator and Democratic politician. He was the c23rd Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin, serving nearly 12 years (1981–1993). Earlier in his career, he ...

, educator and politician * John C. Hanley,

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

general * David E. Hutchison, Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1994-2001) * Larry Krause, NFL player * Joe LaFleur, NFL player *

Jill Lannan Jill Lannan is a brigadier general in the Air National Guard. Career Lannan was commissioned an officer in the United States Army in 1985. She was a Distinguished Graduate of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Afterwards, she underwent tra ...

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

Brigadier General * Myron P. Lotto, Wisconsin State Senator (1969–73) * Dale McKenna, Wisconsin State Senator (1969) *

Terry Meeuwsen Terry Anne Meeuwsen Friedrich (born March 2, 1949) is an American television personality, co-host of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)'s ''700 Club'', author and singer. Meeuwsen was the 1972 Miss Appleton, 1972 Miss Wisconsin and the w ...

, television host and

Miss America 1973 Miss America 1973, the 46th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 9, 1972 and broadcast on NBC. The winner was Terry Meeuwsen, the first woman representing Wisconsin to take the crown. ...

Milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine *'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...

, rapper *

Michael Monfils Michael R. Monfils (December 12, 1938 - May 11, 2021) was an American politician and a former mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Biography Monfils was born on December 12, 1938 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He attended Ss Peter and Paul School (Green Bay) ...

, mayor, City of Green Bay (1975–79) * William R. Moser, politician and jurist *

Mary Mullarkey Mary Mullarkey (September 28, 1943 – March 31, 2021) was a chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court and the first female Supreme Court chief justice in the state of Colorado. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2012. Bi ...

, Chief Justice of the

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Supreme Court * Leo P. O'Brien, Wisconsin State Senator (1953–64) *

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...

, NFL player * Paul J. Rogan, Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1948, 50) and Senator (1952, 54) * James J. Schmitt, mayor, City of Green Bay (2003-2019) * Matt Sloan, film director and comedian, co-creator of ''

Chad Vader ''Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager'' is an American fan web sitcom created by Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan, who wrote, directed, and appeared in the series, which parodies '' Star Wars''. The show's central character is Chad Vader, the day-shift mana ...

'' * Andrew H. Van de Ven Scholar, co-developer of the Nominal Group Technique * Tadashi Yamamoto, founder of the

Japan Center for International Exchange Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is an "independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization dedicated to strengthening Japan's role in international networks of dialogue and cooperation." Founded in 1970 by Tadashi Yamamoto, their st ...

and the

Shimoda Conference Shimoda Conference (previously Japanese-American Assembly) was a series of unofficial dialogues between representatives of the United States and Japan that first began in 1967 and continued every 2–4 years until 1994. In 2011, representatives from ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Norbert College Educational institutions established in 1898 Education in Brown County, Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Brown County, Wisconsin Catholic universities and colleges in Wisconsin Premonstratensian Order Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities De Pere, Wisconsin 1898 establishments in Wisconsin