St. HIldegard Symposium

January 31 | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | University of Southern Indiana | Griffin Center

Register

Overview

The St. Hildegard Symposium is a new initiative by Eagle Catholic, the Catholic Newman community at the University of Southern Indiana. Inspired by St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)—a Doctor of the Church known for her interdisciplinary expertise—the Symposium promotes the integration of faith and academic excellence.

2026 Theme: The Dignity of Work

This year’s theme explores the dignity of labor through the lens of Catholic intellectual tradition. Drawing from Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum, the Symposium reflects on historical insights to address modern challenges at a pivotal technological and social moment.

Participants & Topics

Open to students, faculty, staff, and the broader community, the event features presentations across disciplines including Health Professions, Business, Social Sciences, and the Liberal Arts. The goal is to foster dialogue on how past wisdom can inform present and future responses to work and human dignity

Keynote Speaker

Janine Giordano Drake is a historian at Indiana University and expert on labor, religious and ethnic history in the United States. She is author of The Gospel of Church (Oxford University Press, 2023) and coeditor of The Pew and the Picket Line: Christianity and the American Working Class (University of Illinois Press, 2015).

Breakout Speakers

Breakout speaker sessions will be announced here soon!

Timeline

The event includes an opening keynote, followed by 3 rounds of interdisciplinary breakout sessions, and a closing Mass. A finalized timeline will be emailed to participants the week before the Symposium.

8:00 Hospitality

  • 8:15 Welcome & sponsor highlights

  • 8:25 Keynote

  • 9:20 Breakout 1

  • 9:55 Breakout 2

  • 10:30 Breakout 3

  • 11:10 Concert

  • 11:30 Mass

Celebrating our Sponsors

Saint Meinrad Graduate Theology Program

At the Saint Meinrad Graduate Theology Program, theology is studied in a peaceful monastic setting, where learning feels like a retreat. Visit SaintMeinrad.edu/Grad for more information.

Saint Meinrad Graduate Theology Program: Flexible. Affordable. Transformative.

Monastery Immaculate Conception

We, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, are monastic women seeking God through the Benedictine tradition of community life, prayer, hospitality, and service to others.

By our life and work, we commit ourselves to be a presence of peace as we join our sisters and brothers in the common search for God.

Visit thedome.org for more information.

FAQs

Register Now

  • The Symposium is for faculty, staff, students, and community members in Evansville and the surrounding area.

    Although this symposium presents content from a Catholic anthropology, people of any faith are welcome to attend!

  • Early Bird Registration

    • $15.00 | before January 5, 2026 (faculty, staff, community members)

    • $10.00 | before January 5, 2026 (students with a current college ID)

    Regular Registration

    • $25.00 | beginning January 5, 2026 (faculty, staff, community members)

    • $20.00 | beginning January 5, 2026 (students with a current college ID)

  • Our registration is hosted through the Diocese of Evansville’s OSV Platform. All registrations are nonrefundable.

    Register here.

  • St. Hildegard of Bingen is a Doctor of the Church with expertise in many fields, including music, herbal medicine, natural sciences, philosophy, and theology. She is a model of interdisciplinary excellence and the integration of academic excellence and faith.

  • To learn more, email Anna Schulten at amschulten@usi.edu.