Catholic Leadership Summit
Last week I attended the Catholic Leadership Summit in Indianapolis put on the by the National Catholic Education Association. If you wonder what Catholic superintendents talk about when they get together, read on. Here are my musings and takeaways:
· Bishop George Murry (Youngstown), the chair of the NCEA Board of Directors, opened the Summit by calling us to examine why our enrollments have been declining. He challenged us to face the brutal facts of our reality and to better articulate our mission.
· In three breakout sessions, I heard how dioceses are using data to assess the health of their schools. I’m interested in finding out ways to discover and interpret the demographic, financial, academic, and faith formation data to assist our schools.
· Most people agree that the areas of marketing, operational vitality, leadership formation, and governance are areas to fight the “hospice mentality” of Catholic schools. In other words, we aren’t just making the schools comfortable in their suffering but looking for ways to innovate.
· The tension of subsidiarity (e.g. autonomy) and solidarity (e.g. systemness) is a struggle for most dioceses and Catholic schools. How can we allow local solutions while not reinventing the wheel?
· Superintendents struggle to lead by influence, not coercion.
· An executive from Nucor Steel (a company featured in Good to Great) mentioned the example of Nokia who said, “We did everything right but still lost.” He used that example to illustrate that Catholic schools need to continue to innovate and improve in the face of ever-changing circumstances.
· At a philanthropy roundtable, foundation executives shared their desire to assist in the mission, not simply giving money to charity. They want to support innovation and move away from simply operational support.
· Kevin Baxter, the superintendent of the Archdiocese of LA Catholic School and the guest for Podcast #1, mentioned the “Pebble in the Hole” analogy. Everyone is called to drop a pebble in the hole of improving Catholic schools, doing their part to bring about improvements.
· Joe Womac, the Executive Director of the Specialty Family Foundation and a future podcast guest, described a cynic as “someone who has given up but hasn’t shut up.”
May we all avoid cynicism and the cynics! These insights will guide my thoughts and blogs for the next few months as I seek to integrate them into our great Montana Catholic schools.
Dr. Tim Uhl, Superintendent
Selfie of the Week
Professor Angela Turoski
Montana Catholic Schools
Email: superintendent@montanacc.org
Website: www.montanacatholicschools.org
Location: PO Box 1708 Helena MT 59601
Phone: (406) 442-5761
Facebook: facebook.com/montanacatholicschools
Twitter: @mtcathschools
