Jersey City, N.J. – March 26, 2024 – The SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., as the 23rd president of SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University. He will begin his appointment on July 1, 2024.
The trustees unanimously selected Dr. Benitez to succeed Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., who is retiring in June after 17 years as president. The seven-month national search was conducted by a 16-member presidential search committee comprised of trustees, student leadership, faculty, staff, and academic and administrative leaders, as well as the external higher education community.
Dr. Benitez has most recently served as president and chief executive officer of American International College (AIC) in Springfield, MA and has significant experience with public, private and Jesuit higher education institutions.
鈥淲ith his outstanding academic credentials, considerable experience and dynamic leadership, the Board and I are confident that Dr. Benitez will not only steer the University toward continued success in its next chapter, but also be a strong advocate for our students and champion for our faculty,鈥 said Kenneth Moore, CFA 鈥91, chair of the SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University Board of Trustees. 鈥淲e were all deeply impressed with his Jesuit values of service and cura personalis as well as his personal commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are certain he is the right person to lead our institution forward, and we welcome Dr. Benitez to SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University.鈥澛
鈥淚 want to thank the Board of Trustees for the distinction of being appointed president of SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University. As a person spiritually rooted in the Catholic faith, with personal values that align with those of Jesuit education and traditions, I feel blessed to be returning to Jesuit higher education and joining the SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 community. As we begin this journey together, I look forward to working with the faculty and staff of the University, as we collectively continue to build the future of this great institution,鈥 said Dr. Benitez.
鈥淚 believe that today, more than ever, our nation needs more institutions like SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚, which educate the whole person, nurturing the personal, spiritual and professional needs of our students. With the people, resources and education the University offers, we are very well-positioned to continue to assist our diverse student body, as they enter the workforce, serve compassionately and make a difference in our communities. The possibilities at SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 are endless,鈥 he continued.
Dr. Benitez has dedicated the last two decades of his career in higher education as an academic, administrator and faculty member, and had previously spent 15 years as a clinician. Prior to his appointment as president of AIC, Dr. Benitez served as vice president for strategic initiatives and academic innovation as well as acting chief inclusion officer at fellow Jesuit institution Rockhurst University and as president and chief executive officer for SA国际传媒 Luke鈥檚 College of Health Sciences. Over his career, he聽 has also served in other executive leadership roles, including provost and chief academic officer, dean of health sciences, department chair and assistant dean, while also holding an academic rank at the associate professor level.
Dr. Benitez has significant experience in academic administration and leadership, strategic planning, academic program development, health sciences education and with institutional and programmatic accreditation. He serves as a peer reviewer for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has assisted academic institutions in the design and implementation of academic assessment and evaluation as well as with accreditation-related matters.
A native of Colombia, Dr. Benitez received his first doctoral degree in dentistry from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, a Jesuit, research-intensive institution of higher education in Latin America. Subsequently, Dr. Benitez completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center focused on education and research, and later earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from SA国际传媒 Louis University. In addition, Dr. Benitez completed executive training through the Institute for Educational Management (IEM) at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and the Executive Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
Added Moore, 鈥淚 am grateful for the tireless efforts of the Presidential Search Committee throughout this process as well as the assistance of our search firm –聽 Isaacson, Miller –聽 for their trusted guidance.鈥澛犅
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For more than 150 years, SA国际传媒 Peter鈥檚 University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit .
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