Office of the President

Dr. MaryAnn Baenninger became the 14th president of the College of Saint Benedict on August 1, 2004. 

President Baenninger has devoted nearly her entire career to higher education.  She received her Ph.D. from Temple University, where she also completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.  President Baenninger served as a tenured associate professor in the department of psychology at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, and as a faculty member at Philadelphia University in Philadelphia, PA, and Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. 

The College of Saint Benedict is a national liberal arts college and the highest ranked Catholic College for women in the country. The College has a unique partnership with nearby Saint John’s University for men that expands the resources of both institutions, offering more than 60 areas of study and the distinct benefits of two nationally respected Catholic, undergraduate colleges.

Since arriving at the College of Saint Benedict, President Baenninger has led a new $80 million capital campaign and has overseen a major expansion of the College’s award-winning Benedicta Arts Center as well as the building of a new, state-of-the-art dining and conference center (Gorecki Dining and Conference Center). During this time, the College has also achieved national recognition for its extensive study abroad programs and has risen dramatically in national rankings.

Prior to leading the College of Saint Benedict, President Baenninger served as a senior staff member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education in Philadelphia, PA. In her capacity she consulted with numerous institutions on obtaining and maintaining their accreditation status.

An expert in higher education assessment, Dr. Baenninger edited Student Learning Assessment: Options and Resources and lectured widely on the topic. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the board of governors of the Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies in Minnesota, and the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection which recommends state judicial appointees to the governor.

As a scholar, Dr. Baenninger has published extensively on gender and cognition as well as outcomes assessment in higher education. At The College of New Jersey, Dr. Baenninger was extensively involved in the development of the College’s undergraduate research program including the founding of The College of New Jersey Journal of Student Scholarship. She has conducted many workshops on topics related to undergraduate research and has served as a Councillor and Executive Board member of the Council on Undergraduate Research.  She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Association for Higher Education, and the Council on Undergraduate Research.