SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Promoting Catholic education comes easy
by DAVID F. SHERMAN

Carol Kostyniak

When members of the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo went in search of a director for the organization's Catholic School Development Program, they did not have to look far.

Carol Kostyniak of Amherst accepted the position in late summer, charged with the mission of increasing enrollment and strengthening management and leadership skills at the administrative level.

"I feel my past experience in education has prepared me to bring diverse groups of people in the parishes and the communities to work together for a common cause - the quality of education for our children," she said.

A native of Rochester, Kostyniak graduated from St. Agnes High School and Nazareth College. She majored in math because there was no major in a discipline such as computer science. She took an internship at the University of Rochester to help learn those skills and found employment at the Eastman Kodak Co. as a systems analyst.

Kostyniak moved to the Buffalo area shortly after the Blizzard of '77 and initiated the first computer program at St. Benedict's School in Eggertsville. She later set up the first such program at Sacred Heart Academy as well.

She next went to work for the Buffalo Independent Secondary Schools Network, lending her management skills and insight to 19 centers of learning for five years. High speed Internet access, video conferencing and smart boards were some of the aspects she brought to the schools.

She changed jobs and career tracks slightly by taking a management position with Buffalo Spine and Sports Institute. Yet she was excited about the prospect of returning to the education field.

"I was happy to have the chance to come back to education and help some kids," said Kostyniak. "We offer kids a choice. No one school is perfect for everybody.

"Today we have a mobile society with many people new to our area. These are great schools with small class sizes and lots of opportunities. Our job is to get the word out to the entire community that our students excel academically, that our schools are well equipped with computers and science labs, that art, music and sports programs flourish, and that we are doing an outstanding job at a much lower cost than our public school counterparts."

In making the announcement of her appointment this past August, diocesan officials were quick to point out the value of her experience.

"She is well known to the schools and the wider community and is a winner with a successful track record in managing projects. Carol has a real passion for children and Catholic Education. I can't think of a better person to lead the CSDP program here in the Diocese of Buffalo," said David J. Kersten, director of the foundation.

Kostyniak sees Catholic education as part of a larger mission, to create responsible citizens.

"Catholic education provides a rigorous academic program with strong study skills, leadership opportunities, a sense of responsibility and, most importantly, a strong sense of faith and moral development," she said. "In today's world, where there are difficult decisions in areas such as genetic research, technology innovations and world conflicts, it becomes imperative that our future leaders are prepared not just academically but morally to make the decisions that will affect the course of humanity."

There are more than 70 schools within the Diocese of Buffalo's jurisdiction. Twelve were initially identified for its pilot program with 10 more to be added after the first of the year. One of the best success stories Kostyniak can tell concerns Our Lady of Black Rock School, affiliated with Assumption Parish on Amherst Street in Buffalo.

School officials projected this fall's enrollment to be 86, but with the intervention of the development program, there were 124 students in attendance when the opening bell sounded. Kostyniak credited a community outreach program that stressed quality education, family values and a safe learning environment with the upturn. The success found in Black Rock is being applied to neighborhoods across the diocese.

Kostyniak's husband, Paul, is a professor at the University at Buffalo. They met while he was attending St. John Fisher College. The couple has three children, Doug, Greg and Laura, each of whom attended St. Benedict's School and Buffalo-area Catholic high schools.

If you have a suggestion for someone to feature in this column, send it to David F. Sherman, managing editor, P.O. Box 150, Buffalo, N.Y. 14231-0150, or call 204-4905.