St. Francis College’s prez talks to us!
The president of St. Francis College is amid a massive effort to put his Brooklyn Heights campus on the world map, in order
to build a diverse student body and academic relationships across the globe that he says will defi ne the 160-year-old institution’s
next century of higher education. But international expansion isn’t the only bold idea that Dr. Miguel Martinez-
Saenz proposed for the “small college of big dreams” since he took over as its 19th leader in September 2017. The school’s top
educator strives to develop relationships with as many of his students as possible in order to make the most of their time in
the classroom. We recently sat down with Martinez-Saenz — the fi rst person in his family to attend college — to discuss his
work on campus, and off, in his term to date:
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Natallie Rocha: The three
pillars of higher education at
St. Francis College are “access,
retention, and success.” How
have you furthered those pillars
in your time as president?
Miguel Martinez-Saenz:
One of the things I’ve tried
to do from an access point of
view, and a retention point of
view, is get people to understand
that access requires a
whole commitment, not just
an invitation. It requires fi guratively
holding students’
hands and welcoming them
onto the campus, so they feel
comfortable. This creates an
environment that supports
them, even as they are challenged.
And I try to encourage
this sort of access in the way I
interact on campus.
NR: Is there something, or
someone, from your time in
college that inspires the compassion
and understanding
you show your students?
MMS: The woman that
turned my life around when I
was having a diffi cult time in
college was a Florida State University
professor, Dr. Maureen
Tilley, who died in 2016. Many
years after we met, I learned
she was also a fi rst-generation
college student, and that was
one of the reasons that she
was so sympathetic. She asked
me questions about me, and it
was kind of the fi rst time that
happened to me in that space.
I could have gone in the wrong
direction, but she put me on
the right path. I was lucky
enough to have Maureen commit
to and believe in me, so
that’s why I do what I do.
NR: What is your fi ve-year
plan for the college?
MMS: We are embarking
on a comprehensive internationalization
strategy. We have
a number of international athletes,
and a few study-abroad
projects, but no comprehensive
relationships. So we’ve
established new relationships
in Brazil, and in the Caribbean,
where we visited a fair
in Trinidad and Tobago, and
are beginning some partnerships
with universities including
the University of the West
Indies and the University of
Trinidad and Tobago. We also
just signed a partnership with
a group from Norway, and another
with a group that has
programs in Myanmar, Nepal,
and Japan. This is a big push
on our end.
NR: I read that you’ve made
it a point to teach philosophy
and poetry classes to inmates
at Sunset Park’s Metropolitan
Detention Center, in addition
to the education you provide
to your students on campus.
Why do you prioritize giving
lessons to prisoners amid your
demanding day job?
MMS: My daughter used to
always ask me, “Why do you
go inside the prison?” And I’d
always respond with my own
question: “Why do you think
I teach inside the prison?”
There are two answers: because
there are few others who
will go teach inmates philosophy
and poetry, but also because
I believe I have a responsibility
to do so. I can’t provide
the opportunity for all, but I
can provide it for some, which
is why I always say to young
people, “I’m not telling you to
save the world, I’m telling you
to treat some people around
you kindly.”
NR: Where do you live in
Brooklyn?
MMS: I live in Boerum
Hill, blocks from the school,
so I get to walk to work and
embed myself in the local environment.
I like to say that to
be educated today, you need to
be educated in a diverse learning
environment, amid the
chaos and cacophony of an urban
setting. And what I love
about Brooklyn is that you’re
being educated all the time.
Walk outside and you learn
something about the world. I
think that’s a powerful thing,
especially for my children. I
love living in the city and all
that it presents, even though
there are some challenges.
— Natallie Rocha
LOCAL LEADER: St. Francis College President Dr. Miguel Martinez-Saenz.
St. Francis College