The governance of a school/educational institution is not indifferent to its apostolic mission; indeed, it is a constitutive part of its “Ignatianity.”

That is why it is important to clearly define the basic requirements by which a school/educational institution that is part of the Jesuit Education Foundation is governed and guided.

These must be respected and the people who work in the school at all levels must be aware that organization, manners and procedures, that is, in other words, governance, combine to identify in a significant way the Ignatian nature of the school.

Looking for the organizational and governance formula best suited to our schools today is the subject of research being conducted in many Provinces of the Society of Jesus around the world.

For decades, the Society’s schools have been managed through entities under canon law, without adequate statutes or operating rules specifically designed for the management of increasingly complex institutions such as schools. Moreover, the management “practice” of our schools, which had been consolidated over the years, was still centered, according to the models widespread in the past in all organizations, on single managerial figures with vast responsibilities, both in strategic and operational terms. This managerial model, in contemporary society, was now largely outdated, in favor on the one hand of more collegial and participatory management, on the other separating the functions of strategic planning and operational management

For schools directly managed by the Society of Jesus, the governance requirements have been established in more detail by the Society itself. For this reason, after a reflection on the previous system of governance, the decision was made to provide the ecclesiastical entity that manages the schools today with a specific statute.The decision was made to provide the ecclesiastical entity that manages the schools today with a specific statute.

Father General Adolfo Nicolas SJ therefore approved in 2016 a new model for the governance of the schools directly managed by the Society in the Italian (now Euro-Mediterranean) Province.

The system of governance for the schools directly managed by the Compagnia to ensure the achievement of the objectives identified will necessarily provide for the following bodies:
– Board of Directors
– Chairman of the Board
– General Manager (DG)
– Supervisory Board

The various appointments guarantee the Compagnia a function of direction with respect to the apostolic purpose of our schools and their Ignatian character. The Foundation guides and accompanies the schools in the implementation of this system of governance and in its operation, supporting and being present also in the processes of selection of new institutional figures/organizations.