'Optimism and hope': Former CBHS leader Chris Englert on becoming interim president at CBU

Right after Brother Chris Englert was announced as the interim president of Christian Brothers University, he heard from Brother Bernard LoCoco, who had led the institution when he was a student there in the 1970s. The message was simple:

“God has chosen you to do his work.”

When Englert read this, he grew emotional. It was a quote from Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, a Catholic saint and founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, the religious order he and LoCoco are a part of. And it served as a reminder for why he was stepping into the role.

“It is about our faith, and it is about, for us, building the kingdom of God,” he said. “For me, it’s important motivation, that we’re here to touch the hearts and minds of the young people that God has entrusted to us.”

Englert will need that motivation when he takes the reins at CBU on June 1, as the university declared financial exigency in the fall and laid off faculty amid major financial challenges. Recently, The Commercial Appeal caught up with him, to chat about why he decided to accept the interim position, and what his plans are for the 150-year-old institution.

Here’s what he said.

A chance to pay it back

Englert is no stranger to CBU or Memphis. He graduated from the university in 1977 ― back when it was still Christian Brothers College ― and he served on CBU’s board of trustees from 2011 to 2023. He also loves Memphis and knows the city well, after leading Christian Brothers High School for nearly three decades. He left it in 2018 to become auxiliary provincial for the Christian Brothers.

Still, when the CBU board asked him to be interim president, Englert didn’t agree without taking time to consider the opportunity, which had come quickly and unexpectedly. The previous president, Dave Archer, had abruptly retired in mid-April. And when The CA asked Englert if he had ever imagined he’d eventually lead CBU when he was a student there in the 1970s, he said, “No, I didn’t think that four weeks ago.”

He took two weeks to mull over the offer. It wasn’t as if he’d be taking over a thriving university.

In the fall, CBU had revealed it was planning to prevent a projected deficit of between $5 million and $7 million by slashing $4 million from its operating budget. It had declared financial exigency in September, then announced, in December, that it would eliminate 28 faculty positions and cut multiple programs by the end of the 2023-24 academic year. Though the university remained accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, it was on probation.

The challenges, however, didn’t prevent Englert from feeling drawn to the role. CBU had played an important role in his personal formation as a Christian Brother and educator. This was a chance to “pay it back,” and he received a lot of encouragement. No one told him “don’t do it” or “you’re out of your mind.”

“It was very affirming,” he said, “That people thought that I had the gifts to bring to this job.”

Hope and optimism

So, what are Englert’s plans for CBU, now that he’s accepted the role of interim president?

When the CA asked him what it was like to take over a university in a perilous financial state, he said he thought “a lot of the heavy lifting has been done,” but acknowledged that it was challenging. He also noted some tangible ways to mitigate financial challenges: “gathering your donor base,” offering programs valued by students, and “assembling the right people around you to promote the university.”

But Englert has another priority that’s more abstract: bringing a sense of “optimism and hope” to CBU.

“I want to make sure I know all the deans, many of the teachers, and the Board of Trustees, and really set a vision for the near future of that university,” he said. “I want to take the enthusiasm that’s there now, that’s supporting me, and channel that.”

Promoting hope and optimism at a university that’s laid off faculty and been put on probation doesn’t sound easy. But Englert believes attitudes can change rapidly. And he is buoyed by his confidence in the CBU staff and the wider community.

“I know the Board of Trustees; phenomenally gifted people are on board. I know many of the administrators at CBU. And I know some of the teachers, and they are so dedicated to make this school shine brightly in Memphis,” he said. “Then [there was] the number of phone calls and emails I got yesterday, of people willing to step forward and really help out. It just really showed me the importance of Christian Brothers University to the city of Memphis.”

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: New CBU interim president talks about financial struggles, history