Editor: Please accept my sincere thanks to the many who have expressed through email, social media, and text messaging kind words of appreciation. (See story: Newman president leaving for Ohio school.)
An important point to emphasize is that my next step includes my continued participation in the marvelous Cardinal Newman community through the Angela Merici and John Henry Newman Foundation, Inc. There are many projects on the horizon to further improve our learning environment and to preserve Catholic secondary education in the greater Santa Rosa area. This region is home to Sheila and me. We are taking steps to secure property nearer to the Cardinal Newman campus to construct our retirement home recently sketched by our architect son.
During Friday’s meeting of the board of directors Graham Rutherford, my dear colleague and friend in implementing the President/Principal model of administration for Cardinal Newman recalled our discussions in 2004 of the Jim Collins title Good to Great. Having observed during transitions that new leaders can appear critical of predecessors it was important to us to celebrate the many successes of Cardinal Newman’s faculty and staff during the school’s first forty years before moving in new directions.
Based on what the dedicated Cardinal Newman community has achieved during the last decade it is appropriate to change the title of the book from simply Good to Great to Amazing to Truly Outstanding.
St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians states, “But all things should be done decently and in order.” The joy I experience in collaborating with all stakeholders of Cardinal Newman is their eagerness to listen to St. Paul to make certain things are done decently and in order. Whether it is in engaging third party auditors to help the school demonstrate excellent financial stewardship, or supporting such academic initiatives as the Newman Oxford Scholars program to celebrate academic excellence within the context of our Catholic faith, everyone involved steps up to do things decently and in order.
In addition, it is clear in discussions with students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and benefactors that St. Paul’s observation that “Love is patient and kind, it does not insist on its own way” creates the environment where the young people entrusted by their parents to the care of Cardinal Newman find themselves.
I look forward to continuing my involvement with the Cardinal Newman family in supporting the initiatives being pursued by the Angela Merici and John Henry Newman Foundation, Inc.Michael R. “Mike” Truesdell
President of Cardinal Newman High School, Santa Rosa
