The Willow Glen Resident Photograph by Skye Dunlap Building Alliances: In accordance with Vatican II's mandate to increase partnerships with lay people, Bellarmine College Preparatory is expanding its search for a new principal outside the church. Bellarmine College Prep searches nationwide for its new principal Both those ordained and unordained can apply for position By Mary Spicuzza Bellarmine College Preparatory started its search for a new principal this month, and the Jesuit-based boys' high school is going about it in an entirely unprecedented way. Until this month the principal had to be a priest, who was always appointed by the California Provincial, the head of the Society of Jesus in the area. Los Gatos' Father John A. Prizett, S.J., who has been the provincial since 1993, is developing new traditions. The search is now a nationwide process, opened up to the ordained and unordained alike. A 12-person search committee, chaired by Bellarmine Regent Robert Peters, will review all applicants and interview potential new leaders to decide who can best guide the staff and the nearly 1,500 students of Bellarmine. "This is the first time we've ever opened up the principal's position to any qualified candidate," says Loretta Pehanich, Bellarmine's director of communications. "The Provincial is committed to increased partnership with lay people." This partnership, she added, is in line with the tenets of Vatican II. Bellarmine's staff still have high standards for what they want in a principal. The committee requires that its new principal have a master's degree, a teaching credential and five years experience in education, either teaching or serving as a school administrator. As the school emphasizes spiritual as much as academic growth--its motto is "men for others"--the search committee is looking for an active member of the Catholic faith with a demonstrated knowledge of the principles of Jesuit education, pedagogy and spirituality. The school looks to its principal to carry out the Jesuit mission by supporting student learning and achievement, recruiting and overseeing its staff while working with them to ensure a contemporary curriculum. The prep school currently employs 21 Jesuits and 79 lay teachers. The principal, or pastoral leader, is also responsible for communication with other Catholic leaders, alumni and the greater Santa Clara County community. According to Pehanich, Father John Murphy, S.J., stepped down as principal to focus on teaching and to care for his ailing mother, who has since died. He continues to teach literature and philosophy. Bellarmine was established with Santa Clara University as Santa Clara College in 1851. Shortly after it relocated in 1925, it was renamed after St. Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, a Jesuit scholar and statesman. Bellarmine, like other Jesuits, challenged a materialistic definition of success. The school continues his tradition by defining excellence according to Christian service, to fulfill human potential through service to others. Certain things may be changing in the school-leader search, but Bellarmine's founding principals remain the same. Years ago Bellarmine wrote, "If you want to be an image of God, you have to love wisdom and justice above all else." That passion for education is leading the principal search today. [ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Willow Glen Resident, October 21, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.