{"id":12056,"date":"2024-07-15T11:58:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huangshizhaopin.com\/news\/?p=12056"},"modified":"2024-07-15T11:58:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:58:24","slug":"welcoming-our-23rd-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huangshizhaopin.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/welcoming-our-23rd-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcoming Our 23rd President"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., began his role as the University’s 23rd president on July 1 following an extensive national search and unanimous selection by the Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Here are five things to know about Saint Peter\u2019s next president:<\/p>\n

1. Formative years were spent in Colombia and the United States.<\/strong> Born in Colombia, Dr. Benitez spent his elementary school years in Pascagoula, Miss., after his father completed his college education in the United States and later pursued his career with International Paper Company. \u201cMy father was an immigrant to the United States, a first-generation college student and adult learner seeking a better future for him and later for our family,\u201d said Dr. Benitez. His father\u2019s work later brought the family back to Colombia, where Dr. Benitez attended high school and earned his first doctoral degree. Today, Dr. Benitez recognizes that the challenges to and through higher education remain the same for many students, especially those who are first-generation or who come from underrepresented, marginalized and immigrant student bodies. \u201cI have no doubt that the University is well positioned to bridge those obstacles,\u201d he stated. \u201cIt\u2019s why I believe the opportunities at Saint Peter\u2019s are truly endless, and I\u2019m excited to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Jesuit values are central to Dr. Benitez\u2019s life and vocation.<\/strong> As a practicing Catholic, the 23rd president defines himself as a person of faith. He completed his first doctoral degree in dentistry from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, a Jesuit institution of higher learning in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia. At Saint Louis University, he earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration and worked as an administrator at several colleges and universities before serving in senior leadership posts at Rockhurst University. \u201cComing to Saint Peter\u2019s, I truly feel I\u2019m returning home because the Jesuit mission and values are aligned to who I am as a person,\u201d said Dr. Benitez, who recently held the post of president at American International College in Springfield, Mass. \u201cProviding opportunities to the communities that Saint Peter\u2019s serves is very personal to me, and it\u2019s not solely because I come from a Latino background and the University is a Hispanic Serving Institution. I want to be part of an institution that offers transformative experiences, promotes access to education, and where students, faculty and staff from all backgrounds have an opportunity to grow and flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Mentorship changed the course of his career.<\/strong> Dr. Benitez practiced dentistry for approximately 14 years, with an eye on returning to higher education to make a bigger difference. While pursuing a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut, he met his post-doc mentor, Edward Rossomando, D.D.S., Ph.D., \u201cwho changed my life completely. He saw in me skills I didn\u2019t know I had.\u201d With his mentor\u2019s guidance, Dr. Benitez was able to assume greater leadership roles, from becoming a faculty member, a director, dean and provost and later overseeing strategic initiatives and academic innovation at Rockhurst University and the presidency at American International College. \u201cI believe I owe [Dr. Rossomando] many of my achievements in higher education because his mentorship and guidance guided me through this path. This is why I believe in the value of mentorship.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. First 100 days of the presidency will center on listening and learning.<\/strong> \u201cI come with an understanding of Jesuit Catholic education and an understanding of the challenges of the presidency of an institution of higher learning,\u201d said Dr. Benitez. \u201cWhat I don\u2019t have yet, is an understanding of the working dynamics of Saint Peter\u2019s and the individual needs of students, faculty and staff. You don\u2019t learn about this by reading; you learn by truly listening.\u201d Because communication and collaboration are very important to him, the first 100 days of the Benitez presidency will be dedicated to meeting with the University\u2019s internal and external constituencies to hear and understand people\u2019s perceptions and expectations of Saint Peter\u2019s. \u201cI want to learn about the hopes, desires and aspirations of the community from a personal and professional standpoint,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen people start asking me about my vision for Saint Peter\u2019s, I will promptly respond that we\u2019re going to collectively build a vision. The future of Saint Peter\u2019s is not about me, it will be what we collectively want the University to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Thumbs up for Jersey City.<\/strong> Dr. Benitez has been married for 35 years to his wife, Sandra, an architect. They have two adult children, Ana Ximena, and Daniel. The couple look forward to living in Jersey City. \u201cWe truly want to become members of the community,\u201d said Dr. Benitez. \u201cIf you make a new place home, transitions are always easier. We\u2019re looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hubert Benitez, D.D.S., Ph.D., began his role as the University’s 23rd president on July 1 following an extensive national search and unanimous selection by the Board of Trustees. Here are five things to know about Saint Peter\u2019s next president: 1. Formative years were spent in Colombia and the United States. Born in Colombia, Dr. Benitez […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":12058,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,5,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-current-students","category-faculty-staff","category-future-students"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWelcoming Our 23rd President - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/huangshizhaopin.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/welcoming-our-23rd-president\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"aboyer1\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/huangshizhaopin.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/welcoming-our-23rd-president\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/huangshizhaopin.com\/news\/2024\/07\/15\/welcoming-our-23rd-president\/\",\"name\":\"Welcoming Our 23rd President - 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