Saint Mary’s University inaugurates Brother William Mann as 13th president
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University inaugurated its 13th president, Brother William Mann, FSC, in front of a crowd of 1,200 on Friday, Sept. 26.
The celebration, which centered around the theme, “Lasallian Education – a World of Difference,” was held at Saint Mary’s Winona campus. Faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and community members were invited to inauguration events.
During his convocation remarks, Brother William announced the university’s plan to explore further efforts to make Saint Mary’s more affordable to mid- and lower-income families through an expansion of the Brother James Miller Program for Access. He also announced the creation of a new Institute for Lasallian Studies in Saint Mary’s Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, through which students can receive graduate degrees in Lasallian studies and Lasallian educational leadership on masters and doctoral levels, beginning this spring and summer.
“As a Lasallian university, Saint Mary’s is in a privileged position to be able to contribute to the vitality and the excellence of the global Lasallian educational network,” he said. “As we’re seeing in Washington today, tomorrow is not good enough. Today is the day to begin to address the empowerment of our laity in the future of the Church, the future of this institution and the future of this Lasallian family.
“Let no one doubt that this Lasallian Catholic university — under the protection and the inspiration of Mary, our patroness, and of John Baptist de La Salle, the patron of teachers — stands committed to educate and inform our students and to forge partnerships with our families, our alums, our benefactors, our friends and all people of good will,” Brother William said, “to educate students to be the agents of global transformation, to be part of the solution and not part of the problems that plague society in these opening years of the 21st century.”
Convocation participants included Winona Bishop Bernard Harrington; Harry J. Flynn, archbishop emeritus of Saint Paul and Minneapolis; David Laird Jr., president of Minnesota Private College Council; James Johnson, president of Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical; Judith Ramaley, president of Winona State University; De La Salle Christian Brothers General Councillors Brother Claude Reinhardt and Brother Robert Schieler; and Brother Francis Carr, provincial of the Midwest District of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
Brother Louis DeThomasis, chancellor and president emeritus, presented Brother William with the president’s medallion, and special recognition was given to the many Christian Brothers in attendance, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Brothers at Saint Mary’s.
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Brother William Mann is the former Vicar General of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. As Vicar General, he was the second-highest officer of the international Catholic teaching order that comprises 5,300 Christian Brothers, working in association with 73,000 lay educators to operate 930 schools and universities serving 900,000 students in 82 countries.
Brother William has spent almost 30 years traveling around the country and the world as a leader in the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and as a guiding force in the evolution of the Lasallian educational global network.
A native of New York City, Brother William joined the Christian Brothers in 1965. He began his career as an English and religion teacher, working from 1970-79 at two Christian Brother high schools in New York and Rhode Island. He then held positions directing Christian Brother formation for the Long Island-New England Province and USA/Toronto Region, and from 1990-96 he was International Secretary of Formation in Rome. He later served as Delegate Superior for India, and as Provincial for the LI-NE Province, which operates 10 educational institutions in New York City and Rhode Island.
He served on the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Board of Trustees from 1996-2001.
Brother William is a noted scholar and writer on the life and teachings of John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the patron saint of educators. He has authored and edited numerous publications examining De La Salle’s writings and spirituality, putting them into context for Lasallian educators in today’s world.
