St. Francis College’s 19th President
St. Francis College Welcomes 19th President
Dr. Miguel Martinez-Saenz
New Leader Dedicated to Student Access, Retention, and Success
St. Francis College proudly welcomes Dr. Miguel Martinez-Saenz as the 19th President in the College’s
160 year history. He began his term in September at the start of the 2017–2018 academic year, taking over
for Interim President Timothy J. Houlihan who filled the position after the death of Brendan J. Dugan ’68 in
December of 2016.
P
resident Martinez-Saenz comes to Brooklyn Heights from
Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio where he was the
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“When we set out to find a new president, we looked for a champion
of the Franciscan values of kindness and service; someone who also
brings deep academic experience, solid leadership skills, and an
accomplished track record,” said Chair of the selection committee
Denis J. Salamone ’75, a member of the Board at M&T Bank Corporation.
“Of the 80 applicants we reviewed, it quickly became apparent that
Dr. Martinez-Saenz was exactly the type of person we were looking for.
We are fortunate he felt the same way about St. Francis College.”
A Cuban-American with 17 years of academic and leadership
experience, Dr. Martinez-Saenz is committed to three major pillars of
higher education; student access, retention, and student success.
“Going to college is only meaningful if colleges deliver what they
promise,” said Dr. Martinez-Saenz. “Our educational goals reach beyond
general knowledge and skills and include cognitive, socio-emotional
and moral development. Mastery of these areas help students become
desirable to employers. But first, students have to graduate and to
graduate we must meet the needs of the students we choose to enroll.”
Over the course of his career, Dr. Martinez-Saenz has worked with
a wide variety of businesses and community groups; creating partner-
ships that resulted in internships, fellowships, and special events that
benefitted his students.
Working with the President at Otterbein, he helped cultivate relation-
ships and gain commitments of public and private money to launch
The Point, a groundbreaking maker space and experiential learning
facility that houses private companies and academic programs.
With a Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University
of South Florida, President Martinez-Saenz began his academic career
“Higher education is in the middle
of a major transition, being
re-imagined and re-conceptualized
to meet the demands of a changing
globe, I look forward to working
with the professors, students,
administrators, alumni, and friends
of St. Francis College to determine
the best way for us to grow, change
and lead.”
— DR. MARTINEZ-SAENZ
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