The president of the American International College in Massachusetts has been appointed as the next president of Saint Peter’s University, the first Hispanic leader in the school’s 152-year history.
Hubert Benitez will start July 1, succeeding Eugene Cornacchia, who is retiring after 17 years at the Jersey City school. Benitez, from Colombia, will be the university’s 23rd president.
“I want to thank the Board of Trustees for the distinction of being appointed president of Saint Peter’s University,” said Benitez, who was a unanimous choice of the the trustees. “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 Saint Peter’s community. ...
“I believe that today, more than ever, our nation needs more institutions like Saint Peter’s, which educate the whole person, nurturing the personal, spiritual and professional needs of our students. ... The possibilities at Saint Peter’s are endless.”
Benitez, who has most recently served as president and chief executive officer of American International College (AIC) in Springfield, Massachusetts, has significant experience with public, private and Jesuit higher education institutions, SPU officials said.
The seven-month national search for the new president 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.
“With 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,” said Kenneth Moore, CFA ’91, chair of the Saint Peter’s University Board of Trustees.
“We were all deeply impressed with his Jesuit values of service ... 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 Saint Peter’s University.”
Prior to his appointment as president of AIC, 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 Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences.
Over his career, he 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.
Benitez 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.
He received his first doctoral degree in dentistry from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, a Jesuit, research-intensive institution of higher education in Latin America, and later earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Saint Louis University.
