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http://www.cistercian.org | Cistercian Preparatory School
Irving, Texas
has appointed
Erin Hart
as
Director of Development | Erin Hart has worked in development for the past nine years with organizations such as the Parkland Foundation, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Ms. Hart holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in European History and Medieval and Renaissance Studies from Washington and Lee University as well as a Master of Arts degree in Art History from New York University.
The Organization
Located on 80 serene acres in Irving, Texas, a thriving suburb of Dallas, Cistercian Preparatory School enrolls 350 boys in grades five through twelve. The School was founded by Cistercian monks in 1962 with the aim of preparing talented boys for the colleges of their choice by challenging their minds with an outstanding academic program, modeling their characters through the values of Catholic education, and offering them guidance with both understanding and discipline. Cistercian combines academic excellence with solid formation in Catholic Christian faith, and as a result enkindles every boy’s natural capacity to understand and to serve the good of others.
The School is highly regarded throughout North Texas for its exceptional academic program, and stands out as one of the few institutions in the country in which every student takes an all-honors curriculum. The Cistercians’ philosophy accounts for a number of innovative practices that are realized through a rigorous, integrated eight-year curriculum in theology, language arts, math, science, history, and the fine arts. Opportunities to excel outside of the classroom also abound, with offerings in athletics (more than 80 percent of boys play at least one team sport), the performing arts, student council, numerous school publications, and academic competitions. Through a robust community service program, students put into practice the spirit of charity and generosity that they learn from the monks as well as lay faculty members.
Cistercian’s first-rate education is delivered by a group of committed teachers who have an average tenure of 15 years. Cistercian monks comprise nearly a third of the faculty. By dedicating their lives to their faith, the monks bring a centuries-old monastic tradition and a deep educational heritage, and model a life of service for students, faculty, staff, and parents alike. The structure of the Cistercian program emphasizes close relationships between students and faculty, and many of those connections last for years beyond students’ graduation. In particular, the Form Master system assigns a priest to each entering class to oversee its members’ personal, academic, and spiritual growth for the full span of eight years, which results in an increased sense of community, personalized counseling to students and parents, and consistency in instruction and discipline.
Cistercian’s outcomes, while not the sole measure of success, speak for themselves. Students take an average of 4.4 Advanced Placement tests, and between 2003 and 2007, 70 percent scored a 4 or higher. During this same period, average SAT scores were 709 for Verbal and 707 for Math, and 65 percent of students were honored as National Merit Finalists, Semi-Finalists, or Commended Scholars. Cistercian boys are regularly admitted to top colleges across the country, such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, the University of Texas at Austin, Notre Dame, Princeton, Yale, New York University, Georgetown, and Wake Forest.
The Cistercian Abbey and the Founding of Cistercian
The Cistercian Abbey and the School are on the same 80-acre campus. A community of Hungarian monks, refugees in the 1940s and 1950s, eventually settled near Dallas and established their monastery. Several of the monks teaching at The University of Dallas were approached by a number of local Catholics who sought to start a rigorously academic boys school in a Catholic setting. Accordingly, Cistercian Preparatory School was established under the guidance and financial support of the Abbey. Some 45 boys began school fourth and fifth grade in rented facilities. The School added a grade level each year until the first group of pioneers graduated in 1970. At the same time financial support from the Abbey and parents allowed Cistercian to build its own facilities on the Abbey grounds. By the 1980s, with institutional maturation and strong demand for its educational program, the School found it necessary to grow enrollment to the current, optimal level of 350 students in grades five through twelve. The increased enrollment provided not only the funds to increase faculty but also the numbers of students necessary to run first-class extracurricular programs in athletics, community service, and the fine arts. Notwithstanding this growth, the culture remained, in one person’s words, “small and intimate.” In the early 1990s, what is often referred to as a major symbolic event took place with the building of an elegant yet simple limestone chapel. Alumni raised funds to create this focal point of the campus, which bound the Abbey and the School together beyond the ongoing teaching and advisory program. Indeed, by becoming in effect the center of the campus, the chapel became a unifying space between the School and the Abbey. In parallel with these events, the development office grew from a largely volunteer effort to a more professional entity, a pattern that increased over time with campaigns for new and renovated sports facilities, the library, the fine arts building, and classrooms. Today, the efforts of the development office, while focused primarily on the School, also support the relationship between the School and the Abbey.
There are several interrelated themes that pervade any discussion of the role of the Abbey in the life of the School. Constituents speak with great respect of the continuity and stability that the monastic community brings to the School, and note the “sense of permanence” that results from the vow of stability taken by the monks to live their lives in service of their community – abbey and school. As a consequence, what is often described as the “rhythm of the Abbey” informs and undergirds the School. Thus while the Abbey does not draw attention to itself, the quiet presence and sense of rootedness of the Cistercian Order’s culture inform the temperament of school life and impart the Cistercians’ values to faculty, staff, students, and families.
Development at Cistercian
The professionalization of the development effort has coincided with the growing costs of offering a first-rate, 21st Century education. While the School and the Abbey are committed to operating primarily on tuition and endowment, fundraising activities are nevertheless becoming increasingly vital to the sustenance of the School. Throughout the history of Cistercian, parents and alumni alike have demonstrated their commitment to giving back to the School, and this trend has only risen in the last decade. Over the past three years, 97 percent of parents contributed to the annual fund, which currently averages approximately $500,000 annually, and between 2001 and 2006, annual alumni donations grew by 160 percent. The School is in the midst of its 50th Anniversary Campaign and has already raised $8.75 million toward its $15 million goal, the largest in the School’s history. Nearly $9 million will go toward payment for the most recently added 20 acres of land and classroom renovations; $4 million will fund a new student services center; and the remaining $2.25 million will be added to the endowment. In addition to bringing the campaign to a successful conclusion, Cistercian looks toward the future with excitement about the prospect of increasing alumni and alumni participation, growing a nascent but thus-far successful planned giving program, and generally continuing to educate its community about the importance of supporting the School financially.
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of School, and working closely with the Abbot and key Trustees, the Director of Development will be responsible for the overall fundraising efforts of Cistercian Preparatory School and will develop strategies and implement programs aimed at attracting financial support to the organization. He or she will serve as a key spokesperson on the School’s behalf in order to strengthen connections with internal and external constituencies, and will maintain open and collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, Board members, and the Abbey. The Director of Development will oversee a current staff of two as well as the possible addition of other professionals. Specific duties include the following:
- Assuring that all development functions – including annual fund drives, alumni relations, corporate and foundation support, major donor cultivation and solicitation, records maintenance, and stewardship – perform optimally in support of the school.
- Leading the current capital campaign to a successful conclusion and overseeing the planning and execution of future fundraising efforts.
- Working with the Head of School and key Board members to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gifts prospects, both by approaching them directly and by staffing the Head and others.
- Developing and implementing new strategies to expand the alumni and planned giving programs.
- Maintaining a high-performing office both by mentoring and guiding current staff members and by recruiting new individuals to key positions.
- Serving as a visible, active, and collegial presence in the life of the School, and being an advocate for the institution’s mission to both internal and external constituencies.
Candidate Qualities
Leadership
A person who leads by force of intellect, knowledge of the field, an innate desire to excel and to inspire others, passion and enthusiasm for the School, and dedication to mission.
A leader who engenders support among colleagues and other members of the community by virtue of his or her service orientation, creativity, and willingness to teach and empower colleagues.
An unpretentious person who collaborates with others and is willing to “roll up one’s sleeves” in order to lead by example and to achieve results.
An individual whose life integrates personal values with professional performance.
Experience
At least five years in development, including such functions as annual campaigns, alumni relations, and major and planned giving, preferably in an independent school.
Leadership roles in capital campaigns, including planning, direct solicitation, staffing key executives and volunteers, and stewardship.
Experience mentoring and managing a team of committed professionals.
Skills and Knowledge
Able to work in a small, face-to-face environment that values a high degree of teamwork and collaboration.
Well-developed interpersonal skills that allow one to work successfully in a school community and to share with its members the strong sense of purpose and “connectedness” that is built on the mission of the Cistercian order.
Excellent communication abilities, both verbal and written, with a range of internal and external constituencies.
A disciplined person who follows through on projects and is attentive to key details while still delegating appropriately to capable staff members and volunteers.
One who understands development as a total system and can marshal resources to execute according to a comprehensive strategic plan.
Skilled at hiring, training, mentoring, motivating and holding accountable a strong staff of professionals.
Substantial knowledge of campaigns, annual drives, alumni relations, and corporate and foundation philanthropy.
Personal Traits
A person of unquestioned integrity who has an impeccable reputation, who honors commitments, and who deals with people in a straightforward and personable fashion.
One who embraces the mission of the School and projects true excitement and “fire in the belly” in promoting its goals.
An individual who is at once poised and polished yet understated, and in the spirit of a servant leader finds fulfillment in helping others succeed.
A person who, while not necessarily Catholic, embraces the spirituality of the organization’s culture and is comfortable working in an environment that values such commitment and personal relationships.
Accessible, approachable, and secure in his or her personal capabilities.
A team player who is mindful of the well-being of the total community while having courage of conviction and a willingness to speak one’s mind for the good of the whole.
Warm, genuinely interested in others, and compassionate while still exercising tough-mindedness and accountability in a businesslike way.
Well organized, clear thinking, and efficient.
A good listener. Other Considerations
Compensation: Competitive with comparable schools.
Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
Location: Irving, Texas
Travel: Light. | | Updated: Jul 20, 2010 |
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