---

Sister Jane Herb, IHM, diocesan superintendent of schools, will leave her post at the end of the school year to become president of her religious order in Michigan.

She told The Evangelist the news seems surreal: "I'm still trying to wake up - and yet it feels so right."

Sister Jane will be major superior of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, heading a six-person leadership team and more than 400 nuns in the U.S., Africa, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

The new president wants to continue her religious order's emphasis on peace and justice; advocacy for the poor and vulnerable; and promotion of sustainable living. She'll focus especially on the order's mission and on slowing its declining membership.

That's not far from the goals she's held for diocesan schools during her 15-year tenure in the Albany Diocese. "Some of these experiences will prepare me well," Sister Jane said, referring to the Covenant to Educate, her multi-year plan to re-imagine Catholic schools.

Collaboration becomes more crucial as schools close, she explained; 18 have been lost in the past 15 years. "We had to make some difficult decisions over the years. Part of what I've learned is that I have the ability to make some of those difficult decisions" with input from others.

When Sister Jane became superintendent, enrollment in diocesan schools had already dropped by more than 10,000 students since the late 1970s. Today, it stands at 5,000 students in 24 schools.

Sister Jane believes the Diocese has "right-sized" its schools, creating "sustainable schools" that have enough students to remain viable. She added that, despite the closures, the Diocese accommodated families who wanted a Catholic education.

Sister Jane said her legacy - in addition to launching annual school reports, joint school board meetings and a three-year scholarship fund - will likely be instilling a spirit of cooperation among the schools.

"Together, we can do much more than we can individually," she said.

The first year of Covenant to Educate produced a collective "brand" for the schools, focusing on academic excellence and the uniqueness of a Catholic education. Sister Jane recalled that, when she started her teaching career three decades ago in the suburbs of her native Detroit, she didn't realize "that we'd be marketing our schools. That's been new for me. But we have to understand that parents have options."

Covenant to Educate has advanced schools' Catholic identity, she said, offering the example of diocesan schools adopting flood victims in Rotterdam Junction for the year (read a previous story at www.evangelist org): "They're really helping the students realize that we need to care for all our brothers and sisters."

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and Elizabeth Simcoe, diocesan chancellor for pastoral services, will soon begin the search for a successor for the superintendent. Sister Jane said that person's challenge will be to foster the schools' mission and their technological and academic competitiveness.

"There's probably never a good time to leave," she said. But "it's time for somebody new to come in and give a different perspective."

Schools must increase partnerships with parishes, businesses and community organizations, Sister Jane said. Already, schools have participated in national science competitions and forged relationships with Catholic colleges. Sister Jane hopes to see internships or adopt-a-classroom programs instituted.

"I've been probably more of a cheerleader," she said. "When principals come to me with an idea, I get on the bandwagon. One of the things I hope I've done is encourage innovation in our schools."

For example, she cited St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam, which recently installed solar panels, which cut costs and provide a learning tool.

Sister Jane called her time as superintendent "one of the most rewarding ministries of my life." Her decision to accept a nomination for the presidency of her order came - like her vocation in her 30s - from a higher power: "I felt the call fairly strongly and decided to stay with it."

Sister Jane will finish her last year as president of a committee of the National Catholic Educational Association and keep her summertime adjunct professorship at the University of Notre Dame.

"I hope to keep my hand in the educational world so I don't lose that passion in my life," she noted, but "I'm sure there are going to be [other] opportunities I don't even know about yet."[[In-content Ad]]

---