Villa Voice Summer 2019 VillaVoice Summer 2019 | Page 16

ST. URSULA VILLA ANNUAL REPORT
From the Board of
Trustees Chair
Dear Villa Family and Friends,
As our new graduates from the Class of 2019 look forward to a successful high school career (and beyond), I reflect
on another stellar year of education, faith, and community at St. Ursula Villa.
It’s commonly known that independent school tuition has increased significantly compared to generations past.
As a long-standing member of our Board of Trustees Finance Committee, I know first-hand the challenges and
opportunities in setting tuition each year – carefully balancing the cost for value received with our goal of making
tuition affordable and accessible to more local families. While touring the Saint Ursula Academy Archives during a
recent Board of Trustees off-site meeting, we discovered a 1916 billing statement revealing that, indeed, St. Ursula
Villa’s tuition is a tremendous value when compared to a century ago (adjusting for inflation) when the Ursulines of
Cincinnati ran the elementary school program:
1916 tuition & fees 1916 tuition & fees – inflation adjusted to today 2019 tuition & fees
Kindergarten $580 $13,626 $12,534
Grades 1 - 4 $615 $14,449 $12,820
Grades 5 - 8 $640 $15,036 $13,034
Our reasonable tuition, coupled with our growing Villa Family Emergency Tuition Assistance Fund, helps ensure
that a Villa education is attainable and affordable.
Looking ahead, our school community is in excellent hands as Jody Nienaber Sedler transitions as our in-
coming Board Chair. Jody’s deep understanding and passion for the Villa as an educator and as a current parent
is unmatched. We also welcome new Board members: Craig Maliborski, who shares extensive knowledge and
appreciation of Ursuline education as past principal of Saint Ursula Academy; past parent Tracy Sagester, who
brings a wealth of Human Resources knowledge and skills to our strategic planning; and current parents Bill
Mulvihill, who has helped lead our successful Annual Fund, and Paul Frodge, whose expertise in marketing,
advertising, and analytics will ensure effective outreach to Cincinnati families seeking the very best educational
experience for their children.
We also bid a fond farewell to Kathy Blum, who has led our efforts on the Human Resources committee to enhance
faculty compensation and benefits; Kim Ciesick, whose service took our Marketing Committee to a new level; Chip
Gerhardt, whose guidance in Finance and Governance has been invaluable; Judy O’Donnell, who has chaired our
Ursuline Identity Committee; and Dan Scullin, whose many years on Buildings & Grounds has helped steward our
beautiful school campus facilities. We are deeply grateful to each of them for the countless hours and incredible
dedication they devoted to St. Ursula Villa.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Administration, faculty, and students, I thank each of you who have
contributed to our school’s success. We proudly list names of contributors during our 2019 fiscal year in our
Annual Report Honor Roll of Donors. These financial contributors help make the Villa an outstanding educational
community and one of which I am proud to be a member.
Sincerely,
Matt Iacobucci, Board Chair
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