University of Mary Launches Catholic School Leadership Institute to Form the Next Generation of Catholic Education Leaders
Accredited Master’s Degree Integrates Professional Development, Authentic Catholic Formation, and Exceptional Value Through a $5,000 Catholic Educators Scholarship
enrollment challenges to financial sustainability and the preservation of Catholic identity — the University of Mary has launched a bold new initiative to form leaders capable of strengthening and sustaining Catholic education at every level.
The Catholic School Leadership Institute (CSLI), within University of Mary’s Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, offers an accredited Master of Education in School Administration with a distinct Catholic educator emphasis. Rooted in the university’s Catholic, Christian, and Benedictine mission, the five-semester program prepares educators for leadership roles such as principal, dean of students, curriculum coordinator, instructional coach, diocesan administrator, and lay leadership within parishes and diocesan offices.
“The University of Mary recognized a growing demand for leadership uniquely equipped to guide Catholic schools — educators ready to manage operational realities while sustaining a strong Catholic identity,” said Dr. Jeff Lind, director of the School Administration program in the Liffrig School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. “CSLI offers a timely response by preparing leaders in a faith-rooted master’s program.”
From Phoenix to a National Model
The inspiration for CSLI emerged from the university’s recent collaboration with Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix. Over the past two years, Mary worked closely with diocesan leaders to develop a customized formation program designed to prepare principals and system-level leaders for their schools.
“That partnership was very successful,” Lind said. “It led us to build upon what we learned there — along with our experience delivering North Dakota Rural School Leadership Institutes — and create a model that can serve Catholic educators across the country.”
The result is a program that integrates strategic enrollment management, financial stewardship, instructional leadership, and faith formation into one coherent experience — not as separate components, but as a unified vision of mission-centered leadership.
Wendy Treon, principal of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral School in Phoenix, participated in the Arizona cohort that helped inspire the national expansion of the program. She said the experience transformed both her confidence and her understanding of leadership as vocation.
“On a personal level, I was quite nervous about entering into school administration — and seeing myself as a school leader,” Treon said. “University of Mary not only equipped me with the institutional knowledge needed to lead a school, they also fostered a great sense of ‘I can do this’ within me.”
Treon said Catholic identity was not treated as an add-on, but woven intentionally into every course.
“Catholic identity was wrapped into every class that we took,” she said. “We spent many class periods talking about how Jesus led — and how these same principles could and should be applied in our own schools. In each class, we discussed ways in which the various things we were learning about impacted Catholic education.”
She added that the relationships formed within her cohort continue to shape her leadership today.
“I often call members of my cohort to help walk me through a challenge or brainstorm ideas,” Treon said. “Upon graduation, I truly felt that I was ready to take on the role of principal.”
Formation Beyond Administration
Unlike many graduate programs that operate entirely online, CSLI begins with a one-week summer residency on the University of Mary campus in Bismarck, June 8–12, 2026. During that immersive experience, participants pray together, engage in face-to-face mentorship, collaborate in community, and encounter the university’s Benedictine hospitality firsthand.
“The residency fosters deep relational and spiritual formation that online learning simply cannot replicate — prayer together, face-to-face mentorship, community building, and retreat elements that shape leaders holistically,” Lind added.
After the residency, coursework continues through the university’s highly successful asynchronous online model, allowing working Catholic educators to remain fully engaged in their school communities while advancing their leadership preparation.
The accredited M.Ed. meets principal licensure requirements in North Dakota and many other states and is designed specifically for the realities of Catholic education.
Authentic Catholic Identity, National Value
The University of Mary is nationally recognized for its fidelity to Catholic teaching and is not only recommended by The Cardinal Newman Society with the most comprehensive, authentically Catholic graduate and undergraduate programs, but also recently earned a Top-10 ranking among 725 Christian schools nationwide by the 2025 Christian Schools Project.
Among Catholic institutions offering similar leadership programs, Mary’s program stands out for its accessibility and exceptional affordability while maintaining rigorous academic and spiritual formation.
Each admitted student is eligible to receive a $5,000 University of Mary Catholic Educators Scholarship, reflecting the university’s commitment to investing directly in those who have already dedicated their careers to Catholic schools.
“We want Catholic educators to know that their calling matters,” Lind said. “The University of Mary values both their current contributions and future leadership, and that it offers partnership in both formation and vocation.”
A Timely Opportunity for Catholic Educators
The Catholic School Leadership Institute will welcome its first cohort this summer, marking the beginning of a new chapter in leadership formation at the University of Mary.
As Catholic schools continue to look toward the future with confidence and renewed purpose, the need for mission-centered leadership has never been more important. Educators who feel called to serve at a deeper level are encouraged to begin exploring the program now as the inaugural class takes shape.
Catholic educators across the region and the nation are invited to prayerfully discern how this accredited master’s degree — grounded in authentic Catholic identity and Benedictine formation — may serve their vocation and strengthen the schools and communities entrusted to their care.