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Antoine M. Garibaldi is the sixth President of Gannon University, a Catholic, Diocesan, Master’s Comprehensive University founded in 1925 by Archbishop John Mark Gannon. Gannon University offers three doctoral, 18 master’s, 55 bachelor’s, and eight associate degree programs. Nationally recognized for his more than 30 years of teaching, scholarly work, and administrative experience in education, as well as the federal government, Dr. Garibaldi, who also holds the rank of tenured Professor in Gannon’s School of Education, is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association, and the author of eleven books and monographs and more than 80 research articles and chapters. He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Howard University in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1976.

Since his appointment in July 2001, Gannon’s enrollment has increased by more than 800 students, and the University’s Fall 2009 total enrollment of 4,238 is the highest since 1992. Gannon’s reputation has also increased over the last eight years as a result of several notable accomplishments. The University’s ten-year accreditation was reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in July 2003, and its five-year Periodic Review Report was approved in November 2008. In August 2009, Gannon was ranked for the sixth consecutive year in the Top Tier of universities in the northern region of the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s "America’s Best Colleges 2010." Gannon was ranked 51st among 172 universities. Gannon was also ranked for the first time as a Top Up-and-Coming School. This relatively new category, which is determined by a peer assessment survey of high-ranking college officials across the country, recognizes institutions "that have recently made the most promising and innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus or facilities."

Dr. Garibaldi has been a very successful fundraiser during his tenure at Gannon. In August 2008, four months ahead of schedule, Gannon successfully reached the goal of its $30 million dollar comprehensive campaign – The Power To Transform. A new goal of $31 million was established, and the final total raised was $31.5 million. Additionally, more than $8 million dollars in state and federal funds were raised during the campaign period, bringing the overall total to nearly $40 million – a record for the University. In August 2006, Gannon received a $4 million state capital grant from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell for the Erie Technology Incubator. The incubator opened in August 2008 and is already assisting 17 small businesses and providing internship opportunities for students. Additionally, in September 2004, Gannon was awarded the largest federal grant in its history – a Title III grant of more than $1.8 million over five years by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2008, the University also received a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant to support student scholarships in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Dr. Garibaldi serves on the boards of several national higher education organizations and universities, including the American Council on Education; Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania Board of Directors; Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), where he served a two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors through January 2008 and is past-chair for 2008-2010; National Association of College and University Business Officers’ Board of Directors; National Collegiate Athletic Association, where he currently serves as Chair
of the NCAA’s Executive Committee Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity and recently completed a four-year term on the NCAA Division II Presidents Council (2005-2009); University of Saint Thomas (MN) Board of Trustees; Seton Hall (NJ) University Board of Regents; Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) / Math, Science, Engineering (MSE) Network; and the Board of Directors of the Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Academic Search, Inc. In May 2009, he was appointed to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Review Board and also the Association of Governing Boards’ Council of Presidents. He is also very active in the Erie community, where he serves on several civic, medical and education boards such as St. Vincent Health System, the Erie Downtown Partnership, and United Way of Erie County. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. He served as Chairman of the Social Action Committee of Sigma Pi Phi between 2006 and 2008, and he is Vice Chairman for 2008-2010. Dr. Garibaldi was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Association for Higher Education from 2001-2002, and he served two four-year terms on the AAHE Board from 1995-2003. Additionally, Dr. Garibaldi is a former member of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness from 2004-2007. He also served previously as a member of the Wheeling Jesuit University Board of Directors.

Dr. Garibaldi has received numerous awards, including honorary doctorates from Our Lady of Holy Cross College (LA) and Seton Hall University; the 2004 Howard University Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement in the field of education; the Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota in 2006; and the 2001 National Service Award from the International Salute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, DC. In November 2006, he received the Papal honor of Knight of St. Gregory the Great.

Prior to his appointment as President of Gannon University, Dr. Garibaldi was a Senior Fellow in the Office of the Vice President for Collaborations and Corporate Secretary at the Educational Testing Service from 2000-2001. He served as Howard University’s first Provost and Chief Academic Officer and was a tenured Professor in the School of Education between 1996 and 2000; and, between 1982 and 1996, he served successively as Chairman of the Education Department, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana. Between 1977 and 1982, he was a federal government administrator and researcher at the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute of Education, where he was also a staff member of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, which produced the landmark report, A Nation at Risk.

Modified: October 2009