The members of the Board of Trustees are so named because they hold the mission and identity of the school in trust. Legally, the Board holds the school and its Jesuit identity in trust for the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, per the Sustaining Agreement. As such each Trustee and all Trustees hold primary responsibility for knowing deeply and thoroughly the character of Jesuit high schools and Jesuit education.
The Board of Trustees is the governing, policy-making body of the school. It is headed by the Chair and organized into committees, each with a Chair and a Charter that describes its responsibilities. The Chairs of all standing committees form the Executive Committee of the Board, which is chaired by the Board Chair. Its officers – a Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary – are elected each year by the full Board. These positions and roles are described in the Bylaws.
The Board is responsible for assisting the school by translating the school’s mission and values into policy, notably the Strategic Plan, for an extended period into the school’s future. The Board’s policy must ensure as a first priority the Jesuit and Catholic character of the school. This policy must also ensure the financial health of the school, its repute in the community, and its spirit of service to those families whose children enroll in the school and to the wider community.
The work of the Board is done largely by the committees which normally report in writing and sometimes orally at regular Board meetings. The committees are responsible for assisting the Board to fulfill its policy role by completing work unique to the Board, e.g., approving an annual budget for the school.
Trustees are expected to provide leadership to the school in contributing to the Annual Fund and Capital Campaigns as they are mounted.
