St. Joseph’s College prez talks to us!
St. Joseph’s College President Dr. Donald Boomgaarden is so committed to his students’ success that he now teaches some
pupils himself, in a folk-music class he debuted last fall, and is leading again this semester. Boomgaarden, an 18th-century
opera historian who plays the banjo and country fi ddle, took over as the Clinton Hill college’s eighth top educator in July
2017. And teaching is still very much in his DNA, even after his 20-year career rising in the ranks of higher education,
because it allows him to better connect with his students, he said. Boomgaarden, who splits his time between the college’s
Kings County and Long Island campuses, sat down with us to discuss plans he is orchestrating to lead it into the future:
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COURIER L 14 IFE, FEB. 15–21, 2019 M BR B G
APY2
Natallie Rocha: What
would you say is your biggest
success since taking the helm
at St. Joseph’s?
Donald Boomgaarden:
We were reaccredited by the
national accrediting agency,
the Middle States Association,
after they came on campus to
assess whether or not our programs
and processes were in
line with best practices. That’s
not just my success, but really
the success of the whole campus.
We’ve also had some really
great successes in enrollment.
This term, for example,
we had the highest total number
enrolled since 2007.
NR: You once said that “St.
Joseph’s stands for what is
great about American education.”
What do you believe is
great about American education
that your college uniquely
offers?
DB: Our focus on the tradition
of liberal arts is a really
important aspect for us.
We don’t just pay lip service to
it, we want our students to be
good writers, to be able to express
themselves, to all have
the same senses of integrity,
social responsibility, and justice,
and to look at their education
and their careers not
as an end, but as a means to
something else. The motto of
the school is “To be and not to
seem.” Students want a deep
experience, and that is something
we offer them that really
sets us apart.
NR: What are the pros and
cons of splitting time between
teacher and president roles?
DB: For a president to
teach is a little unusual. But
I spent 20 years as a professor,
and that’s just a part of my
personality. I can’t give that
up. It’s a way to check in with
the students, to discover what
we could be doing better, and
also what we are doing well.
Students don’t just see me as
some distant fi gure, they see
me as a person. I’ve always felt
that the most effective leaders
got down in the trenches and
worked with the people.
NR: Aside from immersing
yourself on campus, how else
have you engaged with the
larger Brooklyn community?
DB: I’m delighted by how
vibrant the local community
is, and everyone tells
me about how things have
improved so much here over
the last 10 years, so I’m glad
to be a part of that. The other
thing that surprised me was
that I really have two different
student bodies on my two
different campuses. The student
body here represents the
face of Brooklyn — it’s very
diverse, it has kind of an international
quality. The campus
in Long Island, which is
a little bit larger, is mostly
young people who live out in
that area.
NR: What are your future
plans for the university?
DB: We are building a new
strategic plan right now that
will become effective in the
fall, since our previous plan is
now coming to an end. In the
forthcoming plan, we focus a
great deal on some of the goals
that the college has, and certainly
a big goal is to continue
to partner with other Brooklyn
schools and institutions in
order to increase our visibility
in the community.
— Natallie Rocha
EDUCATOR IN CHIEF: St. Joseph’s College President Dr. Donald Boomgaarden.
Photo by Natallie Rocha
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