Making Mission Possible

Brother William Nick, CSC, ’64, stood at the blackboard giving a prepared history lesson to a class of St. Edward’s High School students when the first announcement came over the loud speaker: President John F. Kennedy had been shot. A second announcement soon revealed that the president had died. His lesson abandoned, Brother Bill — only a student teacher at the time — led the class in a prayer.

That November day he learned what it meant to be a teacher — “being able to think on your feet.” More than four decades later, he’s still doing exactly that. He has been president or principal of four Holy Cross high schools in Texas and California. For the last 16 years, he has headed Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

The Holy Cross Connection
It’s a constant challenge to adapt to the changing needs of each generation of students, Brother Bill says, but that’s part of what keeps him motivated. “As Holy Cross educators, we help people grow in their faith through education,” he says. “What they receive by way of knowledge can be used as a moral compass as they go through life.” 

Brother Bill helps students develop those morals even after high school. He educates his school’s guidance counselors and students about St. Edward’s University. He also promotes the university’s Moreau Scholarship, which is awarded each year to students from Holy Cross high schools.

And, Brother Bill is the Holy Cross representative on the university’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He’s currently helping to develop an alumni chapter in Southern California and is involved in the Holy Cross Institute.

Transformation Transcends Time
“I look at St. Edward’s today and see the opportunity to be involved in shaping the world by shaping the lives of students,” he says. “The university environment was vastly different during my time as a student, but the gift of knowledge and transformation has stayed the same.”

Brother Bill knows it has been a priority for St. Edward’s to gather resources and build infrastructure to support its mission. As a trustee in the 1980s, he worked on the university’s first capital campaign.

“Like all institutions, St. Edward’s has faced challenges and growth,” he says. “But its focus on mission has held it in good stead through the years — it adapts to meet student needs.”

© Copyright 2007, St. Edward’s University