Christian Brothers’ award to honor lifetime service of Saint Mary’s President Brother William Mann

WINONA, Minn. —The Christian Brothers’ Office of Lasallian Education will honor Brother William Mann, FSC, president of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, with the Brother John Johnston, FSC Award at a banquet Nov. 17 in Washington, D.C.

This award is the highest honor given in the De La Salle Christian Brothers Region of North America, which encompasses Lasallian education in the United States and Canada. Brother John Johnston, a 1955 Saint Mary’s alum, was former Superior General of the Christian Brothers. This award recognizes Brothers and Lasallian partners who, like Brother John Johnston, have endeavored on the international or regional levels over many years to advance the mission of providing a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. The award is presented to those whose leadership, teaching, evangelization, or scholarly research and writing have borne witness to an abiding faith and zeal, and whose efforts have had a transformative impact upon the Christian Brothers’ founding story as lived today.

Brother William Mann has exemplified these qualities over his more than 40 years of service including as a teacher, leader, lecturer, and scholar. He has touched the hearts of Lasallians in his work at many levels, from individual schools to conferences to the headquarters of the worldwide Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Brother William is currently the 13th president of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this academic year. Not only does he encourage academic excellence at every level at Saint Mary’s, he has focused on specific initiatives that strengthen the Lasallian Catholic nature of the university.

Prior to becoming Saint Mary's president in 2008, Brother William served as Vicar General, the second highest officer in the worldwide Institute. He also previously served as Provincial and Auxiliary Provincial of the former Long Island-New England Province. He is a founder and long-term lecturer at the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a three-year Regional formation experience in Lasallian history, pedagogy, and spirituality. He also inaugurated and now serves as an editor of AXIS: A Journal for Lasallian Higher Education, an electronic journal serving Lasallian colleges and universities.

Brother William will be presented with the award at the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Awards Banquet at the conclusion of the Huether Lasallian Conference Saturday, Nov. 17, in Washington, D.C. The Huether Lasallian Conference is an annual gathering of Lasallian educators in the Region which explores emerging educational issues and themes. This year’s theme is Faith in Action: Global Engagement through Lasallian Education.