Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture launched in New Zealand

The Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, with Executive Education, launch the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture in New Zealand. 

In January of this year, Reverend Associate Professor Jamie Calder SJ led a group of education, healthcare and social service professionals from across New Zealand, in the first unit of the Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Catholic Culture (GCLACC) program in Wellington, New Zealand.

The delivery of this unit was the culmination of many exciting developments for the faculty in the learning and teaching space, and particularly our work in extending this program internationally. Such efforts were validated by excellent feedback from the participants on the orientation of the program to their specific needs, the carefully selected resources, and especially the delivery by the presenter, Reverend Associate Professor Calder.

I really enjoyed the course… It made me do a lot of thinking and challenged me. It was very well organised and the quality of the unit and Jamie as a presenter was excellent...

The GCLACC program was developed domestically in collaboration with industry partners, and is designed for senior decision-makers and aspiring leaders in Catholic organisations. Its delivery to a New Zealand-based cohort follows the success of the program’s earlier expansion into Malaysia in 2017 under Christina Kheng, who recently completed her doctorate with the faculty.

The program is comprised of four units, and in the first unit – Catholic Ethos and the Care of the Person – participants are challenged to explore the nature and distinctive features of Catholic culture, as well as to examine the Catholic understanding of the human condition. They reflected on how the existential and spiritual aspects of health, aged care, education and social services combine and contribute to an informed and distinctive approach to caring for the whole person, and as a member of a community.

Following the conclusion of the unit, participants provided strong testimony on the way in which the learning design that anchored the unit, and the preparedness of the lecturer aligned with and supported their specific needs and contexts.

Unit 1 was such an incredibly rich and empowering experience. The style of Fr Jamie and his expertise was motivating and awe inspiring. His challenges, readings, discussions and Saint Ignatius spirituality brought personal growth and collective fellowship. Having Mons Gerry Burns link in and affirm Maori spirituality, really aligned with all of this.

The GCLACC Unit 1 experience has been challenging both academically and emotionally. It has given me things that I can use in my practice straight away and lots of room for development.

Reverend Associate Professor Jamie Calder SJ (middle) delivered Catholic Ethos and the Care of the Person to a New Zealand-based cohort of senior decision-makers and aspiring leaders in Catholic organisations.

Reflecting on the program, Associate Professor Calder said the course allowed participants important time for personal reflection and furnished them with an important, critical context to research and understand the role of mission in their lives and their leadership. Such qualities speak to the uniqueness of the GCLACC as a postgraduate program.

Unit two - Ethics in a Faith-based Context – will be held in New Zealand from 9 to 13 July 2018 and will introduce participants to the principles and practice of ethical decision-making from the perspective of the Catholic moral tradition.

For more information about the GCLACC program, please visit the website.