Higher Learning Commission approves joint presidency
After being lead by two separate presidents since the founding of both CSB and SJU, the two instituitons will go forward under the leadership of one president starting next year. The new model was approved on Nov. 8.
On Sept. 23, 2011, The Record published an opinion written by Hannah Wittmeyer, CSB ‘12, and Will Ranieri, SJU ‘13, that expressed a call for CSB and SJU to become closer as institutions.
“Our request is twofold: at the least, that our diplomas have equal value (regardless of our gender), and that our administrators and outsiders will come to know our schools as we know them—inherently intertwined,” they said.
This past Monday, St. Ben’s and St. John’s got a step closer to Wittmeyer and Ranieri’s vision, as Barb Brandes and Dan McKeown, Chairs of the Boards of Trustees for the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University respectively, informed the CSB/SJU community about the results of the colleges change of structure application submitted to the Board of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
“We are pleased to inform you that the [HLC] has approved our change of structure application to move to stronger integration. This means that we will move forward with hiring a single president and have Boards of Trustees with common members,” Brandes and McKeown said in an email.
This decision is historic news for the colleges and signals the official start to a process that will tie CSB and SJU more closely together under one president.
“Seeing the email, I’m really curious to see how one president and all of the other changes end up affecting my last two years here,” CSB sophomore Maddie Kloubec said.
The PDF attached to the email more clearly explained the relationship between the two schools going forward. The colleges will be moving from a Coordinate Relationship to a Joint Operating Agreement, which will “aim to expand upon the parties’ current Coordinate Relationship by unifying aspects of CSB and SJU governance and increasing and better structuring joint administrative functions,” as explained in the email.
It also hinted at some of the departmental changes that will occur. In short, the following already is or will now operate as one entity: President’s Office, Board of Trustees, counseling and health promotion, intercultural and international student services, clubs and joint student activities, Admissions Office, all marketing and communications, bookstores, and the planning for reunions and Homecoming.
At the same time, the following will remain separate: student residences (dorms), student life activities, athletics, CSB and SJU Campus Ministries, Title IX compliance, CSB Senate and SJU Senate, Outdoor University and each school’s respective graduate programs.
Some of the merging departments create positive change in the eyes of Dr. Phil Kronebusch, SJU class of 1981.
“I remember when I graduated when I first started receiving alumni publications that were more from St. John’s than from St. Ben’s, I actually didn’t like that. I want to get the alumni publications from both offices. I want to know what’s going on with the lives and careers of my St. Ben’s friends, as much as I do of my St. John’s friends,” Kronebusch said.
However, Kronebusch also expressed concerns with the new plan that appear to be shared by faculty and some students.
“My view is that for a long time, St. John’s and St. Ben’s have needed to take steps to fully merge. And the reason for that is to create some efficiencies in the operation and really have student tuition dollars not being spent to support an overly large administrative bureaucracy. So, this plan is a step in the right direction, but I think it should go much farther and have resulted in a complete merger of St. John’s and St. Ben’s.”
