Brian Menard stepping down as president of VASJ

April 28, 2011

Dear Members of the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Community:

After two years leading the turnaround effort at VASJ, I am pleased that the progress made has set the school on the right path toward our vision of building a 21st Century model of Catholic education. With a great team effort of faculty, staff, administrators, parents, alumns, neighbors, Ursulines, Marianists, Board of Advisors and Endowment Board members, and a broad array of Diocesan people beginning with Bishop Lennon and continuing through Secretary of Education Margaret Lyons and the Office of Catholic Education, we have set VASJ on course for success. Fulfilling this requires much hard work ahead, but our community can carry out that work with the confidence that comes from having an achievable and realistic plan grounded firmly in our mission to transform lives to transform the world.

While I have been honored to work internally and externally with this eclectic group and to see the great results that have come in a fairly short time, I write today to inform you that this good work will continue without me at the helm of the Viking ship next year.

As many of you know, while this year has been one of great success for VASJ, that success has come with sacrifice by my family as I have bilocated between my VASJ home in Cleveland and my family that moved to Louisiana last year. After much family discernment and deep prayer on the subject of my oft-repeated mantra, “You go where God calls you,” my family and I have decided that the progress at VASJ makes is a good time for me to turn over leadership of the school to someone who can lead its pursuits further while I continue to follow God’s call without the competing challenge of long-distance digital family life. At this good transition time, God has blessed me with a great opportunity to rejoin my professional and family vocations. Beginning in July, I will assume the position of Head of Redemptorist Elementary and High Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, an institution with similar demographics, traditions and spirit that make it much like VASJ.

VASJ is ready for the task at hand. We have the structures and pieces in place to continue our ascent. The excellent recruiting work led by Admissions Director Terri Richards gave us a strong, stable, four-year entering class last fall that has had practically no attrition this year. Moreover, her work keeps us on track for a 60 percent increase in quality students for next fall’s entering class, with additional good prospects already pipelining for the following year’s class. Building these strong, stable, four-year classes is the bedrock for VASJ’s future success. Additionally, Advancement Director Mary Paxton has constructed a dedicated and growing network of alumni, alumnae, parents and other volunteers who further our outreach efforts in important development work – evidenced by events earlier this month that engaged 700 people over two nights – for in today’s world of Catholic and other private education tuition dollars must be supplemented by other revenues to provide our students with the educational experience that will make adifference in their lives. The academic leadership team of Principal Dave Csank and Assistant Principal Megan Scheider continue to build on the foundation they have laid this year for the top-notch academic program VASJ offers. And the Board of Advisors and the Endowment Board have strong leadership to help steer the administration and keep us on track as VASJ goes forward.

Finally, I am grateful to all who have joined our effort and made the successes of the last two years possible. As I close out this year, I do so with great appreciation for the financial and other invaluable support of Bishop Lennon, Secretary of Education Margaret Lyons, and many others in the Diocese of Cleveland. Make no mistake: they have been instrumental members of this success team, and want nothing but continued success for VASJ. The Office of Catholic Education has already begun work on finding the right person to take the helm at VASJ, and will do so inclusively to bring in my successor. Likewise, the Ursulines and Marianists continue to support VASJ in various ways as an important institution within their respective consortia of schools.

I offer my thanks to the entire VASJ community for making me part of the Viking Village. While I will not lead it next year, I will always carry the Viking spirit with me. As Bishop Roger Gries said earlier this month in his homily at our Lenten Mass, we all must take the Viking spirit with us wherever we go: that is the spirit that transforms the world. I have been transformed by my tenure at VASJ, and I feel greatly blessed by the opportunity to be here. Thank you for helping to make that possible.

Peace,

Brian R. Menard

President