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Seminar for Trustees and Presidents |
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What We Hold In Trust
A Seminar for Trustees and Presidents
What We Hold in Trust is for institutions, not for individuals. The seminar is designed to provide practical and useful information and approaches that help boards of trustees function more effectively. In order to maximize institutional impact, participating colleges and universities will send teams or delegations that include at least three people: the president and two trustees.
Over three days (November 6-8, 2011) presentations will primarily focus on the “Catholic” part of Catholic higher education and what that means for the board to do the “Catholic thing” at the board level. Expressed more formally, the pressing and practical question addressed is how trustees who are who are not religious or priests (or, more generally, members of sponsoring congregations) exercise leadership, due diligence, and oversight of the specifically Catholic character and identity of their institutions. The goal is to give trustees practical ways to review overall policy in a systematic way without intruding on the managerial responsibilities of the president and the senior staff.
Presenters are from a variety of institutions, including the University of Notre Dame. All their presentations will frame issues, approaches, and strategies to fit a wide range of institutions varying in size, tradition, and the strength of current Catholic programs, especially academic ones.
The leading force behind this seminar is Dr John C. Cavadini, professor of theology at Notre Dame and director of the Institute for Church Life, also at Notre Dame. Dr. Cavidini gives two presentations on the pivotal role of theology in a Catholic university. Additional presentations cover student affairs, presidential searches, the relationship between civil law and the law of the Church, ways to integrate Catholic themes across the undergraduate curriculum that rely on student choice, Catholic religious themes and professional schools, walking the talk in finance, and different approaches to hiring for mission.
Eight Catholic college or university teams (president plus two or more trustees) have already signed up for the seminar. If your institution is interested, contact Dr. Cavadini at the Institute for Church Life, 574-631-5510.