A few days ago I mentioned I would be taking a “field trip” this summer, and today I’m thrilled to announce that it’s going to be the ACE Summer Forum on the campus of Notre Dame from July 8-10. Not only do I love visiting Notre Dame, but I can’t wait to attend what I’m sure is going to be an outstanding weekend of speakers and presentations.
One of the best things about being a Catholic blogger is connecting with friendly people and organizations that I never would have known about otherwise. High on that list for me would be Ricky Austin and the ACE Advocates at the University of Notre Dame. When they invited me to this summer’s ACE Forum, I jumped at the chance. Their generosity and support has been a great blessing not only to me but to all involved in Catholic education.
What is ACE?
The Alliance for Catholic Education is a program that “exists for one purpose: to strengthen and sustain Catholic schools.” Since 1993, ACE has worked to improve Catholic education across the nation. Only recently have I begun to know and appreciate the work of ACE and its related programs. As part of my trip to Notre Dame, I plan on learning all I can about ACE and its national movement to support Catholic education, ACE Advocates.
The ACE Summer Forum
The focus of this year’s summer forum is “Expanding Access to K-12 Catholic Schools.” ACE is offering three different tracks to choose from, and they each sound so good I’m going to have a hard time choosing which one to attend:
- Privately funded scholarship programs and initiatives
- Strategies for advocating for parental choice public policy in your state
- Increasing access to Catholic schools for Latino children and families
The Field Trip
I also plan on sharing my trip with you from beginning to end. Because of the support of Catholic School Chronicle readers, I have been able to acquire the digital tools I need to take you along on this journey. Thank you to everyone who has purchased items from Amazon.com after clicking through from here, or otherwise patronized our sponsors. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
You’ve got several options for keeping up with me as I travel out to Notre Dame:
- Twitter: I’ll be tweeting regularly all through the conference at both of my Twitter accounts. Follow @CatholicSch for formal news and @nsenger for more personal, quirky updates.
- Facebook: The Catholic School Chronicle Facebook Page will be a hub for pictures, audio and video. Be sure to click on over and press the “Like” button to get all the updates.
- Audioboo: With the iPhone Audioboo app, I will record and share short bits of audio as I travel. These will be posted to Facebook and Twitter, but you can also subscribe in iTunes by visiting my Audioboo page and clicking on the iTunes button.
Of course, when I get back I’ll also write a blog post or two to summarize my experience and explain more about ACE.
A Chance to Meet
Are you going to be there? I’d love to meet up with any readers and fellow Catholic educators who are going to be at the summer forum. Let me know if you’re going, and we can try and meet up.
There’s nothing quite like a gathering of Catholic educators, and there’s nothing quite like the campus of Notre Dame. I can’t wait.
Looking forward to welcoming you to Our Lady’s university! I hope I can join some of the festivities and get the chance to say hello while you are in town. Can’t wait to read your updates!
Thanks for this post, Nick. We are excited to have you and the other advocates for Catholic schools at Notre Dame. Thanks again!