College Board

SEAN KEENIHAN (CLASS OF 1988)

CHAIR OF COLLEGE BOARD

This is a big year for the future of the College. Students, parents, staff, and our wider College community have an unparalleled opportunity to play a part in shaping our future.

Early in Term 1, the Board launched the process for the review of the College Strategic Plan and Masterplan with a two-day Board strategy weekend. As part of the process, Board members, Board Committee members, Foundation Board members, and the College Executive Leadership Team participated in a ‘big ideas’ session. The discussions were universally positive around the opportunity for the College to make a significant contribution to the renewal of our world through the education of our students.

A core part of our discussion was setting the context for these strategy and masterplan discussions. The Board has undertaken significant work in the past few years to seek data, community views, and independent expert review and advice to assist in forming a forthcoming wider, consultative process. We were also able to draw on the new Jesuit Education Australia strategy (released in late 2022) and are energised by the opportunity to explore and pursue a contemporary expression of Jesuit education over the forthcoming strategic planning period. The new Head of Co-Curricular role within the expanded College Leadership Structure is just one example of a renewed focus on the development of the whole person across our student cohort.

The College Board is particularly keen to involve our entire community in this process. We see the strategic and master planning processes as an opportunity to engage the vast array of talents and passion among the College community to support the ongoing education and formation of our students. We are fortunate to have the unparalleled expertise and experience of our Principal, Barbara Watkins, to lead us through this process. Barbara’s infectious enthusiasm and assured leadership have provided great impetus to the renewal of our College community as we emerge from COVID and look to the future. The past few years have been challenging in terms of bringing our community together, so we look forward to involving as many of you as possible in this future-focused discussion.

Across our continuing and new members of the Board and Board committees, we benefit from a considerable breadth of talent and commitment to service and support of the College. At the end of last year, Melissa Librandi, Managing Director of News Corp in South Australia, and a current parent at the College, joined the Board as part of an ongoing process of renewal among the Board.

Finally, the Board is well advanced in the process of appointing a new, long-term principal for 2024 and expects to be able to update our community over the coming weeks.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible involved in the forthcoming strategic and masterplan sessions over the coming months.