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Antoine M. Garibaldi is the sixth President of Gannon University, a Catholic, diocesan, Master’s I Comprehensive University founded in 1925 by Archbishop John Mark Gannon. Gannon University offers three doctoral programs in Counseling Psychology, Physical Therapy, and Organizational Learning and Leadership, 22 Master’s programs, 59 undergraduate majors, and 10 pre-professional programs. Nationally recognized for his more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in education, as well as the federal government, President Garibaldi is a Fellow of the American Psychological 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 reputation has increased as a result of several notable accomplishments. In August 2007, Gannon was ranked for the fourth consecutive year in the “Top Tier,” or tier one, of universities in the northern sector of the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2008.” Gannon was ranked 45th among 174 universities in the northern sector of the United States in 2007. Gannon was also ranked for the third straight year in the top ten of universities by U.S. News & World Report in its “Great Schools, Great Prices” category. The University’s Fall 2007 total enrollment of 4,134 is the highest in 15 years, and its SAT and retention averages exceeded national averages; the University’s ten-year accreditation was reaffirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in July 2003; and the University has raised more than $25.6 million, or 86 percent, of a $30 million comprehensive campaign. Additionally, seven million dollars in state and federal funds have been raised. In August 2006, Gannon received a $4 million state capital grant from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell for the Erie Technology Incubator, which will assist individuals and small businesses interested in developing technology companies. The incubator will open in Spring 2008. 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.

Dr. Garibaldi serves on the boards of several national higher education organizations, including the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), where he is serving a two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors through January 2008; the American Council on Education; the National Association of College and University Business Officers Board of Directors; the NCAA Division II Presidents Council; the University of Saint Thomas (MN); the Seton Hall (NJ) University Board of Regents; and the Board of Directors of the Sister Thea Bowman Black Catholic Educational Foundation. Other board affiliations include: Summer Institute for the Gifted and Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) / Math, Science, Engineering (MSE) Network. 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 Improvement District, and the United Way of Erie County. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, and serves as Chairman of the Social Action Committee of Sigma Pi Phi. Dr. Garibaldi was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Association for Higher Education in 2001-2002, and he served two four-year terms on the AAHE Board from 1995-2003. 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 in May 2001, he was a Senior Fellow in the Office of the Vice President for Collaborations and Corporate Secretary at the Educational Testing Service in 2000-2001; he served as the first Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Howard University and 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 (1977-1982), 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 2007