Association of College and University Religious Affairs
2009 ACURA Conference

October 11-14, 2009
Macalester College
St. Paul, MN

Welcome to Macalester College for the 2009 ACURA conference.  Following you will find a draft schedule and necessary information to assist you in planning your travel.  We will update you as we confirm times, locations, etc.

Program Overview
Intersecting Narratives: The guiding impulse for chaplaincy in the postmodern world may be rooted in multiple, intersecting narratives of chaplaincy, college and university, and the greater global community. Such narratives assume the contours and nuances from multiple sites of conversation that both pluralize the understanding of chaplaincy and challenge new frameworks for connecting with communities, histories and discourses. Presenters and conversations will explore how the chaplain, perhaps unlike any other, embodies and gives expression to the contradictions and meeting places nascent in such narratives.

Some highlights:

• Conversation with Krista Tippett, host and producer of "Speaking of Faith" series, a Peabody-winning public radio program about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas. http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/about/
  
• Community Narrative and Tour of the Minneapolis Global Market, http://www.midtownglobalmarket.org/
  
• Come a day early for a writer's event with Anne Lamott, Thomas Lynch, and Patricia Hampl, http://www.hohchurch.org/October%20Writing%20Seminar.asp

Travel and Hotel Accommodations
A block of rooms at the St. Paul Hotel in downtown Saint Paul has been reserved under the ACURA name.  Reservations should be made prior to the block cut off date, September 10, 2009, in order to obtain the special conference rate of $159.00 for single or double occupancy.  Please contact the St. Paul Hotel at 800-292-9292 for room reservations.  Ask for the ACURA conference reservation.  Additional information regarding the hotel can be found at the hotel website at www.saintpaulhotel.com.  The hotel does not have shuttle access to and from the airport. We will assume participants will arrange their own transportation to and from the airport.  The hotel provides shuttle service to and from the college at specific times (these times will be indicated on the final schedule).  Shuttle service is provided at other times upon availability.

Tentative Schedule
*** Shuttle service available from St. Paul Hotel to Macalester College (specific times will be made available)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
3:00-6:00PM
Registration — (Institute for Global Citizenship, Lobby)
6:00-7:00PM
Opening Gathering/Reception: Greetings and Welcome — (Alumni House)
7:00-9:00PM
Dinner and Chaplain Conversation — (IGC, Davis Court)

Monday, October 12, 2009
8:00-8:30AM
Meditation — (Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel)
8:00-9:00AM
Breakfast available — (IGC – Davis Court)
9:00-10:30AM
Presentation: "A Global Narrative:  The Imperative of Global Citizenship in the 21st Century"
   Professor Ahmed Samatar, Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship,
   with responses from Macalester Chaplain and Faculty member
(IGC, Davis Court)
11:00AM-Noon
ACURA Response: small groups — (IGC, Davis Court)
12:15-1:00PM
Lunch Break — (IGC, Davis Court)
1:00-2:30PM
Business Meeting — (Old Main, 4th Floor lounge)
2:30-4:30PM
Break — (Optional Offerings)
4:30-6:00PM
Conversation with Krista Tippett — (Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel)
    Host and producer of "Speaking of Faith" series,
    a Peabody-winning public radio program about religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas.
6:00-7:00PM
Chaplain conversation with Ms. Tippett — (Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, lower level Chapel)
7:30-9:30PM
Dinner on Campus: Welcome from President Rosenberg — (IGC, Davis Court)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
8:00-8:30AM
Meditation — (Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel)
8:00-9:00AM
Breakfast available — (IGC, Davis Court)
9:00-10:00AM
Presentation: Intersection of the Global with the Local
     • Hussein Samatar, the Executive Director of the African Development Center, will speak about how his nonprofit supports African         immigrant entrepreneurs in the Twin Cities. He has been at the forefront in helping to adapt business loans to Islamic lending         practices.
10:15-11:15AM
Student Presentation:  Intersection of Vocation and Community Narratives — (IGC, Davis Court)
11:30-3:30PM
 A Commitment to Place: Stories of Community Engagement in Two Neighborhoods
         •  Trip into the Twin Cities will highlight stories of local organizations restoring and caring for specific places amidst larger          economic and social challenges of our time.  Includes lunch at the Midtown Global Market and visit with two nonprofits:          Juxtaposition Arts, a nonprofit utilizing public arts to engage youth in community; and the Peace Foundation working to reduce          violence in North Minneapolis neighborhoods and building relationships across social divides.
3:30-5:45PM
Leisure Time — (Optional Offerings)
6:30PM
Dinner off Campus/Closing — (Little Szechuan Restaurant)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Departure

Should you have questions regarding your reservation or on the conference,
please contact K.P. Hong at 651-696-6720 or via email at khong@macalester.edu

***Please be sure to print the registration form for your records PRIOR to hitting the submit key!
Credit cards cannot be accepted so please mail a check payable to Macalester College.

To register for the conference, click here.