The administration service between Leadership and Management

“I thank God for saving my life.” Father Lino Dan has vivid memories of the earthquake that devasted the city of L'Aquila on the night of April 6, 2009, where he served as Rector of the University College. “My room withstood the earthquake, others did not. But I was alone in the community, and there were no victims among us.” Fr. Dan, former technical director at the Vatican Radio and then superior and parish priest at the San Fedele Cultural Centre in Milan, has served as the Administrative Vice-Rector of the Gregorian since 2016. In these capacities, he has been able to benefit from his training as an Electronics engineer and from his practical experience in the engineering industry. “I was entrusted with organisational and managerial responsibilities already during my student years,” he said. “I tend to have more of an operational approach, but I will also indulge in some speculative thinking when needed.” His passions include mathematics, physics and the Bible. At the start of his third term as administrative officer at the Gregorian, he discussed with us the ways in which this role is integrated with the academic mission. 

“Administration is the mission for which I was sent here,” says Fr Dan, “but the desire for pastoral ministry remains the same. I am aware that these posts are not beneficial if they are held for life. There is a danger of becoming too attached to one's own administrative role, or to the way in which it is run, or to the relationships of affiliation that may arise. I appreciate the fact that in the Society of Jesus the term of office is three years, renewable twice and only in exceptional cases for three times. Admittedly, it is a complex job. In fact, it took me the first two years to master the various administrative, legal and financial aspects.”

What is the role of a university ‘administrator’? Is it just an ‘unpleasant necessity’, or is it a service that brings something back to academia?

“Administration is a service for the proper functioning of the University, both in the management of its staff and of its infrastructure. In terms of human resources management, administration services are a reminder that, in addition to fairness and justice, relationships should meet standards of fairness and sensitivity. I believe this is part of the magis – which means ‘more’, to a greater extent - required by Jesuit priestly formation: we are dealing with people, not just employees.

In terms of infrastructure, a historic building in the heart of Rome needs constant renovation. For example, we are considering the upgrading of the lightning protection system: a necessary intervention that is not noticeable to a large part of our academic community, but which is fundamental for the protection of the IT systems that are crucial for the daily academic activities.”

 

Is it not enough to have the best teachers and the best students?
“It’s not. You can have very good teachers, very good students, but if the people in charge of the financial aspects or the non-teaching staff do not share the vision of this service, conflicts will inevitably arise.” 

While not a business, a university must nevertheless observe corporate parameters, but without absolutising their value. How is the accuracy of financial management guaranteed?
“Our final balance sheets are audited and certified. Financial reports are drafted with the support of external accounting firms, which we hire with a three-year contract and normally change every six years. Ernst & Young, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Fidital. We do not wish to establish too close a relationship with anyone. Junior auditors are sent here for a limited period of time in December or January - usually a few weeks - during which they review the balance sheet for the previous year (October 1 – September 30). The Bursar’s Office provides them with the income and expenditure transactions. In the event of a negative variance from the budget, funds are sought to cover additional expenditure. Finally, the balance sheet is certified in accordance with the relevant international tax accounting criteria. This is a fundamental step for us and a due diligence for the many benefactors who can therefore verify the proper use of their donations. I must say that no problems have been reported so far: whether we end up with a deficit or a surplus, our accounts are accurate. And that is a credit to the institution.”

Unfortunately, financial mismanagement in the Church has led to the sale or disappearance of considerable assets of dioceses and religious orders. Should the notion of “governance/management” in education be rethought?
“I’ll give you a concrete example: when a diocesan priest becomes a parish priest, he becomes the legal representative of the parish. In other words, he assumes civil and criminal responsibility for what happens in the parish. Inevitably, he also becomes an administrator. The same can be said of many religious orders, whose numbers are declining and whose responsibilities are concentrated in a few hands. Many priests have no expertise in management and rely on mostly well-meaning lay people, some of whom are either amateurs or predators. This situation is not uncommon even in religious orders, both male and female. However, when tax evasion exceeds a certain threshold, the legal representative - i.e. the parish priest, the male or female superior - is liable to prosecution. There are also cases of priests or religious who have left huge financial holes behind them, affecting the lives of their successors and their communities for many years.” 

Wouldn’t it be best to include some basic - albeit mandatory - management courses in the academic programme? If not, isn’t there a risk of falling into the blind spot of naivety (“it wasn’t my job to know”)?
“This is a serious problem indeed. In the past a certain sensitivity prevailed, which granted priests considerable latitude - sometimes too much. This is no longer the case, and rightly so. That is why we have decided to offer a short - but mandatory - module on safeguarding and human dignity. This is not unconnected with the priest’s mission - nor would be an introductory course in financial and business management. The aim is not to turn priests into bureaucrats, on the contrary, spirituality is very concrete and not at all abstract. Moreover, by training priests to manage assets that do not belong to them, it provides practical training in personal responsibility. Even at the cost of one less theology course.”

Clearly, no one can be an expert in all areas. Making decisions often requires prior guidance from experts. How do you choose your collaborators?
“In my opinion, it’s important to identify the profile of the ideal candidate first, and then try to have at least two or three candidates to choose from. There are also different roles. From a legal point of view, the Gregoriana is a very unique entity - linked to the Holy See and governed by the Lateran Treaty, but operating in Italy - which requires very specific skills. However, this is not the case for the budgetary audit. For other, more technical matters, I trust the decisions of the heads of the offices and my close collaborators, who have specific competences.”

The most precious assets, although at the same time fragile and challenging, concern relations, that is, the “human resources.” In his speech at the Gregorian (10 April 2014), Pope Francis dedicated unprecedented attention to them. What skills are needed?
“For us, the ability to interact with colleagues, to cooperate and to work as a team is fundamental. It is not a question of being more or less outgoing, but of not being competitive in a harmful way, not to create scorched earth around oneself. Even for those with a supporting role, such as the secretariats of the deanship, an excellent level of interaction is necessary, along with fairness, honesty, consideration for where you are: an environment that is not only Catholic, but ecclesial. We have already mentioned the safeguarding course, but staff also follow a course on promoting fair relationships every three years. The qualities required are those of humanity, with skills that facilitate teamwork, which is why we also try to foster good relations by organising community events (Christmas Mass and lunch, Easter outing). Admittedly, more and more positions are entrusted to the laity, but which laity? Certain tasks require being rooted in Ignatian spirituality, because the corporate perspective, while necessary, is not enough. There is a concern for mutual support when personal and family vicissitudes create situations which could not have been foreseen beforehand. Some faculty members are not Catholic, but the world of Ignatian spirituality is not an “exclusive world.”