“Advanced Catholic Leadership Program” Held in Rome

Organized by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), the Advanced Catholic Leadership Program took place in Rome from 6 to 11 July 2025. Designed for women leaders at Catholic universities that are members of the Catholic Universities Partnership, the program brought together 21 participants.

The Catholic University of Croatia was represented by Prof. Jasna Ćurković Nimac, Ph.D., Vice-Rector for International Relations; Assist. Prof. Elvira Lazić Mosler, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Dean for Teaching and Students; Karla Žagi, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Sociology; and Suzana Obrovac Lipar, Ph.D., Head of Public Relations and Digital Platforms.

Prof. Ćurković Nimac participated in the panel discussion “Managing Perceptions and Embracing a Female
Leadership Style” while Dr. Obrovac Lipar spoke on the panel “Work/Life Balance”.

As part of the program, the participants visited the Vatican Museums, where they were warmly received by Dr. Barbara Jatta, the first woman to head this prestigious institution. Dr. Jatta delivered an inspiring lecture on female leadership.

This year’s program was centered on the theme “a leadership of care” and aimed to empower women in leadership roles at Catholic higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Through education and community-building, the program sought to strengthen the mission of each participant’s home institution. The program also served as a platform for networking, experience-sharing, and initiating joint projects, supported both by home universities and the Catholic Universities Partnership itself.

Background:

The Catholic Universities Partnership operates within the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame. It seeks to re-establish Catholic universities in Europe that were closed under communist regimes and to support the founding of new Catholic universities in post-communist countries. Since 2005, the Partnership has organized annual academic conferences across various European countries. Its members include:

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (Poland)
Catholic University in Ružomberok (Slovakia)
Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Hungary)
Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv (Ukraine)
Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University (Georgia)
Catholic University of Croatia (Croatia)