INSIDE VSB

VSB earned top-10 ranks in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Online Graduate Business Programs and the Best Online MBA rankings, earning the No. 3 and No. 9 spots respectively.

VSB Online MBA and Graduate Business Programs U.S. News and World Report

Since the ranking’s inception in 2014, VSB has consistently placed highly in the Best Graduate Online Business Programs for its Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) and Master of Science in Church Management (MSCM) programs. Both programs were built from the ground up with input from industry experts for a fully tailored and application-based experience.

The Villanova Online MBA also ranked highly, further validating the School’s ability to deliver a high-quality learning experience for students regardless of the delivery mode. The Online MBA offers the same curriculum, expert faculty and NovaNation network as our top-ranked campus program.

The Villanova Online MBA was also ranked No. 5 for Best Online Programs for Veterans, a distinction the School is especially proud of.

VSB online graduate business programs also performed well in the Student Excellence and Student Engagement categories across the suite of graduate online program offerings. The Student Excellence score measures how selective a school is in admitting highly qualified applicants, and the Student Engagement score measures student satisfaction and instructor responsiveness.

New Certificate in Catholic School Management

Beginning this fall, the Center for Church Management (CCM) will offer a Certificate in Catholic School Management for K-12 Catholic school administrators. The program is designed to provide school leaders with the critical business skills and knowledge necessary to successfully manage their schools in a Catholic context. The certificate is being offered in partnership with the Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education (formerly Archdiocesan Educational Fund) and the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). While CCM has traditionally worked with church leaders at the parish and diocesan levels, this is the first program specifically designed for Catholic school leaders.

The non-credit program will consist of 12 online modules that participants will complete in a flexible, self-paced format over the course of a year. The modules will cover topics unique to Catholic school leaders such as budgeting and financing for mission; data-driven decision-making; advancement, stewardship and donor relations; enrollment, recruitment and tuition management; contract negotiations and vendor relations; and spirituality of administration.

“NCEA is excited to partner with Villanova to provide high- quality training in finance and school management. We know this resource will be of great value to Catholic school leaders and will better enable them to achieve the mission of their school and deepen the spirit of leadership,” said NCEA Interim President/CEO Kathy Mears. Daniel Guertin ’15 MA, associate director, CCM said “Despite having advanced educational degrees, many administrators lack the business acumen for leading schools. Our program will help these leaders effectively manage a changing Catholic school landscape.”

For more information visit www.villanovachurchmanagement.com.

Church Management for Every Diocese in Ghana

Joseph V. Topper Jr. ’77 VSB, chair of Villanova’s Board of Trustees, and Brian Shea P ’10, ’12, ’17, ’21 and a member of the Parents Executive Committee, were in Rome last year for a meeting of the International Business Leaders’ Advisory Council at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. There, they met with several bishops from Ghana who were discussing their need for help with church management challenges. The bishops shared how they did not have the necessary infrastructure to support the growth of the Church in Ghana, and Topper and Shea soon contacted Matthew Manion ’11 MS, faculty director, Center for Church Management.

CCM collaborated with Mario Enzler of Catholic University and Colin Howell of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Foundation to create a four-day intensive workshop. The program provided training in budgeting, financial controls, auditing, fraud prevention and detection, leadership, and governance, all rooted in the biblical foundations of prudent and responsible stewardship.

According to the Rev. Lazarus Anondee, secretary general of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, “The need for such a program arose from the call for better governance of the temporal goods of the Church in Ghana and [a desire] to increase transparency and accountability. The program was very enriching as it helped us to identify our weaknesses and also practically proffered solutions to loopholes in church management.”

The vision of the Center for Church Management is to be a global resource for church management knowledge. We knew this “ would be an amazing opportunity for Villanova to work with the growing Church in Ghana and we were happy to help.”

–Matthew Manion ’11 MS, faculty director, CCM

“Church management is an ongoing challenge facing the Church,” said Topper. “With fewer priests available, providing education on management and delegation of responsibilities between priests and lay people will be critical.”

Villanova is uniquely suited to meet this need, according to Manion. “Being part of a business school, we are able to provide leaders with world-class business content that is fully immersed in a way that church leaders can process and use it. Ghana was a great opportunity for us to be of service."

All 19 dioceses in Ghana sent at least three representatives to the workshop: their chief financial officer, a respected pastor, and at least one team member.