By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 8/26/04)

After working for years as a sales manager for a fire alarm system, Michael Gnat was not happy at his job. When his wife brought this to his attention, he quit that job and began working as a long-term substitute teacher for Stafford County. Gnat enjoyed teaching, and took a job with St. Patrick School in Fredericksburg in 1998 teaching science and computer science to fifth-graders.

After a few years of teaching, Gnat considered taking a leadership role in Catholic schools, and entered the Catholic School Leadership Program (CSLP) at Marymount University in Arlington to earn his master’s degree in education administration.

"Usually the principal’s role is mainly managerial, but (Marymount’s program) dealt with the spiritual aspect of leadership," Gnat, principal of Holy Family School in Dale City, said. One of the things he learned from the program was that God’s presence in education is "not just in religion class. He is the education. Marymount really brought that home for me."

CSLP began in the summer of 2001 with about a dozen students. It is a two-year program of 36 credits. Two classes are taken each semester for six consecutive semesters. Summer classes are held on the Arlington campus so that students can get to know one another and their professors. Fall and spring classes are taught online.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Patricia Helene Earl, former assistant superintendent of schools for the diocese, was hired in 2003 to be the first full-time director of the program.

Sister Patricia said Marymount’s program is unique, even among other Catholic programs, because of the mix of on-campus learning and e-learning. By allowing students to spend two weeks together in the summer, this "cohort concept encourages collegiality," she said. Combined with classes taught online during the school year, the program "meets the needs not only of the Arlington Diocese, but particularly areas where there are no Catholic universities."

The program includes classes typical of any master’s in education program, but with a Catholic perspective.

A state school would teach a class on budgeting by focusing on state and federal funds, but Marymount’s program emphasizes the roles of tuition and working with pastors.

Even beyond managerial issues, CSLP "gives (its students) a preparation so they can be not only educational and managerial leaders but spiritual leaders," Sister Patricia said. The program was created to "infuse into others not only what they need to run the schools but also how to integrate faith into what they offer the teachers and the students."

There are currently 37 students enrolled in the program. Of these, 15 are from Arlington, with others coming from the dioceses of Richmond and Wheeling, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as dioceses in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Rhode Island, Colorado and Texas.

"The word is getting out there," Sister Patricia said, adding that this growth and diversity prompts broader dialogue and interchange.

Because of the nature of the program, "We’re never going to see huge numbers, but we are at a very full number and it’s good to see the enthusiasm," she said. Seeing the students coming to Marymount’s campus this summer was like "children coming to school for the first day and yet, these were mature established adults."

Sister Patricia’s job includes teaching several classes, recruiting and working on gaining official recognition for state licensure, so that students from other states can more easily transfer a degree.

Shortly before coming to Marymount, Sister Patricia completed her doctorate at George Mason University in Fairfax. Fittingly, her doctoral dissertation was on the formation of lay teachers and leaders in Catholic schools.

Applications for the Catholic School Leadership Program at Marymount University are available online (www.marymount.edu) or by contacting Sister Patricia at 703/284-5798 or cslp@marymount.edu.

Marymount offers a 50 percent discount for this program to teachers who are employed full-time by Catholic schools. In addition, the Office of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Arlington also has a limited number of scholarships available for its teachers to make tuition more affordable. For more information call the schools office at 703/841-2519.