St. Joseph’s College President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., is ranked No. 6 on Long Island Business News’ “Power 25 in Education” list.
The magazine recognized Dr. Boomgaarden for his transformative leadership during “a time of unprecedented challenge to the health and financial well-being of colleges and universities across the nation.”
Appointed in 2017 by SJC’s Board of Trustees, Dr. Boomgaarden has overseen a successful reaccreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, launched a new strategic plan, grown the college’s endowment by nearly 50 percent and saw record high enrollments at SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online.
“I am honored to be named among so many admirable and accomplished educational leaders across Long Island,” said Dr. Boomgaarden, St. Joseph’s eighth president. “During my time at St. Joseph’s, I have had the pleasure of working with many of these inspirational leaders, and I look forward to continued collaboration and partnerships with my colleagues in the future. Even so, no leader succeeds without a great team. At St. Joseph’s, our faculty, staff, students and alumni are top-notch.”
The “Power 25 in Education” honorees were nominated and selected after Long Island Business News examined their careers, accomplishments and ability to lead during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Boomgaarden’s fellow honorees include presidents, as well as deans, professors and vice presidents from institutions across Long Island.
Dr. Boomgaarden’s contract was recently renewed by the Board of Trustees for another five years. Under his leadership, SJC is working on adding new academic programs, making improvements to its physical campuses and is planning to build a $17 million dollar student center at it SJC Long Island campus in Patchogue.
Dr. Boomgaarden serves on the steering committee of the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education (LIRACHE), where he is also chair to the Superintendents and College President’s Partnership. He also serves as chair of the Lower Hudson Valley Consortium of Catholic Colleges and Universities. He has been named one of the most influential Brooklynites by “Brooklyn Power 100” for two consecutive years.
Before coming to SJC, Dr. Boomgaarden served as the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He previously served as dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts and as David P. Swanzy Distinguished Professor of Music at Loyola University New Orleans. A music enthusiast, concert pianist and country fiddler, Dr. Boomgaarden is a noted historian of opera, music aesthetics and harmonic theory.
