SJC Announces Appointment of New President

March 03, 2017

ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE, NEW YORK ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW PRESIDENT

BROOKLYN AND PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – MARCH 3, 2017 – Following an extensive nationwide search, the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., will become the College’s eighth president effective July 1, 2017.  

A distinguished scholar with extensive experience in higher education, Dr. Boomgaarden has a proven track record of success. Most recently, he served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he served as Dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts at Loyola University New Orleans and Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at Loyola University Maryland, among other administrative and academic positions over the course of three decades. He will succeed SJC’s current president, Dr. Jack P. Calareso, who began his tenure at the College in July 2014.

Dr. Boomgaarden notes that he was particularly moved by his recent visits to the SJC campuses in Brooklyn and Patchogue: “The inclusive and transformational mission of St. Joseph’s resonates deeply with me, and I can tell from my campus visits that the students, faculty and staff truly strive to live up to their motto, Esse non videri: To be, not to seem. At a time when many colleges and universities are challenged by a rapidly changing world, St. Joseph’s stands for what is great about American education, and for what is most important to our students and their parents. Deeply rooted in the liberal arts tradition, informed by the wisdom of the Sisters of St. Joseph, the College is committed to offering an education that prepares our students for meaningful careers and provides them with the knowledge to transform the world for the better. I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful institution.” 

Dr. Boomgaarden earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and master’s and doctoral degrees from the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. A Fulbright Scholar, he also graduated from Harvard’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education Program, as well as the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Seminar on Higher Education Leadership at Loyola University Chicago.  

A music enthusiast, concert pianist and country fiddler, Dr. Boomgaarden is also a noted historian of 18th-Century opera, music aesthetics and harmonic theory, on which he has written and been published extensively. He will divide his time equally between the Brooklyn and Long Island campuses, and hopes to find time to teach in the music program at SJC.

Chris Drewes, chair of the SJC Board of Trustees, announced the appointment of Dr. Boomgaarden to the College community: “We are fortunate indeed to have in Dr. Boomgaarden an outstanding leader and scholar, ideally suited to take the helm of St. Joseph’s College at this time. We are excited to welcome him to the SJC family, and look forward to his leadership as we enter the second century of the College’s history.”

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 50 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.