PRESENTATION OF THE HIGHER COORDINATION COUNCIL OF THE
PONTIFICAL LATERAN UNIVERSITY
On 1 March 2024, Pope Francis approved the new regulations of the Higher Coordination Council of the Pontifical Lateran University (PLU).
The change has made the body, as already envisaged by the PLU Statutes, even more flexible, in continuity with previous experience. The aim is that of a more direct connection between the University of the Bishop of Rome, which by its very nature has a special link with the Holy See, and the various organs of the Roman Curia which, in various capacities and according to their competences, contribute to the pursuit of the institutional purposes of the University.
The tasks of the Council are to direct and verify the activities, programming and planning of the PLU, from an academic, scientific and didactic point of view, as well as its administrative, economic and financial management.
To this end, the Council prepares development plans and evaluates the progress of the PLU's activities, draws up guidelines, models and procedures for the planning and management of the PLU's human, financial and material resources, examines the PLU's budget and final balance sheet, as well as acts of extraordinary administration, to be submitted for approval to the Secretary for the Economy of the Holy See.
The Council is composed of the Rector Magnificent, the Pro-Rector, the Managing Director and the Secretary General of the PLU, and a number – from five to ten – of experts appointed by the Holy Father. The current members of the Council are:
Archbishop Alfonso V. Amarante, C.Ss.R., Rector Magnificent PLU
Msgr. Riccardo Ferri, Pro-Rector PLU
Dr. Sabrina Di Maio, Managing Director PLU
Dr. Immacolata Incocciati, Secretary General PLU
Msgr. Roberto Campisi, Assessor for General Affairs, Secretary of State
Dr. Luis Herrera Tejedor, Director of the Holy See Human Resources Directorate, Secretariat for the Economy;
Dr. Paolo Nusiner, Director Generale of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Director for General Affairs of the Holy See Dicastery for Communication, President of the Isola Tiberina – Gemelli Isole Hospital;
Dr. Stefano Fralleoni, Director of the Services and Management Control Area of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA);
Dr. Aldo Fumagalli, President of Beldofin s.r.l. and Chief Executive of Albe Finanziaria;
Dr. Giacomo Ghisani, Director of the Secretariat for Corporate and Legal Affairs of the diocese of Cremona;
Dr. Mimmo Muolo, Vatican expert and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the daily newspaper Avvenire.
Since last summer, that Council has been focusing on three areas:
- The formulation of an ‘industrial plan’ that takes into account the PLU's specific mission, which is to offer a Christian educational value interpreted according to its peculiar character as the ‘University of the Bishop of Rome’, rooted in the Petrine charism and therefore open to a “Roman” and “Catholic” (i.e. universal, international and communion-based) vision. In order to do this, it is necessary to define and illustrate the strategic intentions and development forecasts of leadership or management regarding the competitive strategies of the PLU, the actions to be implemented, the evolution of the key value drivers (in practice, the management levers to implement the growth strategy) and the expected results. This is the only way to renew and strengthen the current university model, making it grow and more effective for the future.
- The identification of communication strategies to promote and spread the mission of the PLU, in the service of the Holy See. These are strategies addressed both at those who work and live in the PLU (teachers, students, and non-teaching staff, who form a body distinguished by its special link to the Holy See), and potential users in relation to the academic services of formation, study, analysis and research it provides (students in the final years of secondary school, dioceses, religious institutions, Vatican dicasteries, third sector employees). In addition, it is intended to create a network of potential partnerships, entering into relationships with stakeholders in the PLU, interested in its mission and capable of influencing its activities, to enable a return for the same mission of the PLU.
- The planning of fundraising strategies – the collection of funds and donations, specifying timing and resources and organizing events, communication and relations with donors. The formulation of a three-year plan to identify possible donors/contributors in Italy and abroad, developing a dialogue with them to highlight the mission of the PLU as a body of the Holy See in the service of the Petrine ministry, and to develop projects that stimulate their interest and involve them in activities.
It is hoped that the journey undertaken may bear tangible fruit for the formation of future pastors and lay faithful, actively engaged in the apostolic mission of the Church.
Vatican City, 9 November 2024
✠ Alfonso V. Amarante, C.Ss.R.
