Brother William calls students to be leaders of university

By Jenna Capelle

Feature Editor

The president of Saint Mary’s University holds a significant role of leadership that makes an impact in the lives of many.

Brother William Mann, FSC, has been the president of SMU since June 1, 2008. Before joining the SMU community, Brother William was the vicar general, holding the second-highest position of the Christian Brothers. Every day he is active with conferences, meetings and events on behalf of the university. Brother William works with the trustees to ensure that the mission and vision of the university is implemented. Although his schedule is busy, he makes an effort to interact and visit with students.

“The best part of it all is the 30 to 45 minutes [per day] that I walk with the students. Honestly, it’s the joy of the job,” said Brother William. “It’s where I get the energy to go out and do all of these other meetings and greetings and participations.”

As president of SMU, Brother William develops substantial relationships with academic leaders. Therefore, in a group setting, they can discuss ways for students to receive a beneficial and meaningful experience from their education.

“Ultimately I believe leadership is relation, that we have in our relationships the potential to pull out the best in one another,” said Brother William.

When students see a leader, Brother William encourages them to take the time to appreciate what they have contributed. “We need more leaders to help make the world a better place,” said Brother William. “Everyone is called to be a leader these days and I see enormous potential here with students of leadership.”

Brother William encourages students to find leadership in their own lives. The best way is to find something they’re passionate about and try to make that contribution, said Brother William. He suggests that students should identify the people they see as leaders and try to learn from their habits and talents.

SMU offers a variety of clubs, sports and organizations in which students can be involved.

“I see student leaders when I look at captains and leaders of sports teams, resident halls and the people of student government,” said Brother William. “I see leadership when I look at the folks organizing club sports, Campus Ministry, S.O.U.L. trips and other activities.”