VSB’s Center for Church Management Introduces New Certificate in Catholic School Management
Villanova, Pa., Dec. 7, 2020 - Beginning 2021, the Center for Church Management (CCM) will offer a Certificate in Catholic School Management for K-12 Catholic school administrators. The program is designed to provide school leaders with the critical business skills and knowledge necessary to successfully manage their schools in a Catholic context.
The certificate was developed with funding from the the Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education and is being offered in partnership with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). While CCM has traditionally worked with church leaders at the parish and diocesan levels, this is the first program specifically designed for Catholic school leaders.
The non-credit program will consist of 12 online modules that participants will complete in a flexible, self-paced format over the course of a year. The modules will cover topics unique to Catholic school leaders such as budgeting and financing for mission; data-driven decision making; advancement, stewardship and donor relations; enrollment, recruitment and tuition management; contract negotiations and vendor relations; and spirituality of administration. The content for each module will be delivered through a mix of pre-recorded videos and interactive components with real-world scenarios and exercises.
“NCEA is excited to partner with Villanova to provide school leaders with high-quality training in finance and school management. We know this resource for certification will be of great value to Catholic school leaders and will better enable them to achieve the mission of their schools. It is a uniquely designed program to enhance management skills and deepen the spirit of leadership,” said NCEA Interim President/CEO Kathy Mears.
The certificate program fills a unique need for school leaders, according to Daniel Guertin ’15 MA, Associate Director, CCM. “Despite having advanced educational degrees, many school administrators lack the business acumen and background necessary for leading their schools.”
Catholic schools have a long history in the American educational system of providing quality, faith-based education. However, changing demographics in cities and suburbs, consolidations of parishes, and competition from charter and private schools have presented unique challenges for Catholic schools.
“The Certificate in Catholic School Management will help these leaders obtain the skills needed to effectively manage a changing Catholic school landscape. As a Catholic university rooted in the Augustinian values of truth, unity, and love, Villanova is committed to helping school leaders improve their business and management skills as they nurture the next generation of students formed in Catholic education,” said Guertin.
For more information visit the center website.
The Villanova School of Business (VSB) undergraduate program is top-ranked among business schools in the nation. Its online graduate business programs are ranked #3, and its online MBA program is ranked #9 by U.S. News and World Report. VSB has been at the forefront of business education since it was founded in 1922. Serving over 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students, VSB is home to five Centers of Excellence – the Daniel M. DiLella Center for Real Estate, the Elenore and Robert F. Moran Sr. Center for Global Leadership, the Center for Business Analytics, the Center for Marketing & Consumer Insights and the Center for Church Management – with each designed to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research and applied opportunities for students. VSB is known for academic rigor; creativity and innovation; hands-on and service learning opportunities; a firm grounding in ethics; and an applied education that prepares students to become outstanding leaders and global citizens within the ever-changing, complex, and fast-paced world of business. For more, visit business.villanova.edu.