First-of-its-kind symposium on governance training
and support for Catholic educators
SAN FRANCISCO (July 2, 2012) – The University of San Francisco’s Institute for Catholic
Educational Leadership (ICEL) will host Making Decisions to Sustain Your
Mission, a four-day conference on trustee leadership in Catholic education, July
19-22. Designed for members of governing boards from Catholic colleges,
universities, and high schools, this inaugural conference will include
presentations and panel discussions focused on decision-making strategies that
are not only mission-aligned, but also grounded in national research. Trustees from 25 schools from across the country will travel
to San Francisco to participate.
ICEL Director Stephen Katsouros, S.J.,
EdD, whose academic research at Harvard University, Columbia University, and
USF focuses on the characteristics of effective, high-performing boards of
trustees, developed and organized the conference to meet a need he learned of through
a recent survey of Catholic administrators. While reviewing his findings, Fr.
Katsouros discovered that maintaining “Catholic identity” was the top area of
proficiency needed by Catholic administrators today. “Based on this research, I
wanted to design a mission-focused conference that would provide sound
approaches to tackling challenges, while keeping Catholic identity front and
center,” said Fr. Katsouros, who has an extensive teaching and administrative
background, including his nine-year stint as president of Loyola School in Manhattan's
Upper East Side, and is currently serving on USF’s Leadership Cabinet and on
the boards of the Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, Creighton
University in Nebraska, and Regis University in Denver.
Fr. Katsouros is applying his national
research on board effectiveness toward making ICEL a center of governance
training and support. “This conference is not a one-time event,” Fr. Katsouros said.
“This is the first in a series of professional development opportunities that
will explore the links between board competencies and institutional performance.
We look forward to welcoming a diverse cross section of leaders in Catholic
education. Never before has a series of workshops such as this been so tailored
to meet the specific needs of those institutions sending delegates. Not only
will this time together renew our shared commitment to Catholic education, it
will provide participants the opportunity to examine best practices on how to
govern so as to sustain the mission and values of their institution.”
Each of the 60 trustees and educational
leaders attending the July conference will receive a customized report of their
board’s strengths and improvement areas, as well as a report detailing each
board’s overall effectiveness based on proven performance indicators. The
four-day symposium will include breakout sessions covering benchmarking
strategies, fiduciary responsibilities, and leadership priorities.
Distinguished keynote speakers and presenters include Robert McElroy, auxiliary
bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco; Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, president
of DePaul University; Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of
Independent Schools; and Geoff Boisi, former board chair at Boston College and
founder of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management. For additional
details, please visit www.usfca.edu/soe/ctrs_institutes/icel/conference/.
Founded within the USF School of Education in 1976, ICEL’s
mission is to inform, form, and transform leaders in Catholic Education.
By recognizing and honoring the experiences that students
bring to ICEL, the institute strives to be a professional learning community
with the following aims:
- Offering
rigorous and relevant programs for Catholic scholar-practitioners
- Building a sense
of community among the students and faculty who pray together and serve
others
- Preparing and supporting highly
effective and dedicated Catholic educators and leaders committed to social
justice
ICEL supports the mission of the University of San Francisco,
producing leaders who are profoundly influenced by the teaching mission and
ministry modeled by Jesus Christ.
About
the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of
one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant
academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their
fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small
classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San
Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a
student’s passion for social justice and a desire to “Change the World from
Here.” For more information, please visit www.usfca.edu.
To request interviews with ICEL Director Stephen Katsouros, S.J., EdD, please contact Anne-Marie Devine, USF’s
senior director of media relations, at (415) 422-2697 or abdevine@usfca.edu.
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