Programs in Action: Partnering in Leadership

May 1, 2019

The Office for Catholic Schools and the Fulcrum Foundation have partnered with six Catholic universities with programs in Educational Leadership to help aspiring leaders in the Archdiocese of Seattle earn their principal/administrator credentials.

Partnerships with Creighton University, Gonzaga University, Saint Martin’s University, Seattle University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Portland enable us to provide an affordable and excellent education for our future leaders. These partner universities provide leadership development to participants from any of the 73 schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Because of the generosity of many of our donors, the Fulcrum Foundation is able to provide partial scholarships for full-time aspiring leaders in archdiocesan schools who are seeking a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership or a Certificate in Principal Leadership. Without these scholarships, many of our future leaders would not be able to further their education, obtaining the necessary credentials to lead our schools. In the 2018-2019 year of the program Fulcrum awarded 13 Educational Leadership Grants to aspiring leaders to attend 4 of our partner university programs. Two of the leaders are serving as new principals this academic year

“We realize the importance of partnerships as we navigate the many challenges we face in our schools. It is because of our partner universities that we are able to identify, form, educate, and retain high-quality teacher leaders and principals committed to serving Catholic schools,” said Kelly Surapaneni, Coordinator of Leadership Development for Fulcrum and the Office for Catholic Schools.

The Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame is one of the programs which helps educators become transformative leaders in their Catholic school communities. The Remick program lasts 25 months, spaced out over three summers and with correspondence work throughout the year. This gives educators the opportunity to live out their leadership in their schools with the support of their cohort and assigned executive coach.

“The Remick Leadership Program has been formative for me as a person and as a leader,” said Marc Nuno, a second year Remick leader who serves as the principal of Visitation Catholic STEM Academy in Tacoma. “Remick has improved the way I approach spiritual leadership, instructional leadership, school governance, and long-range planning. I feel a strong sense of gratitude for this blessed opportunity and a motivation to continue to learn and to enhance my capacity as a school leader.”