President’s Office

Dr. Richard Plumb, 18th President

Dr. Richard Plumb is the 18th President of Saint Michael’s College. He has been a leader in higher education for more than three decades, working his way up from faculty positions to top administration appointments at several institutions. He most recently served as President and Chief Executive Office of Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, California (2021-2023). 

Since 2005, Dr. Plumb has worked as both a professor and higher education administrator at several universities across the country. In addition to his leadership of Saint Mary’s College, his appointments have included Dean of the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California (2005-2014) and Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota (2014-2021). 

Dr. Plumb attended Syracuse University, obtaining his bachelor’s degree (1982), master’s degree (1985) and Ph.D. (1988) all in Electrical Engineering. After spending four years at General Electric Company, Dr. Plumb returned to higher education as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Syracuse, and then as an Assistant Visiting Professor. Dr. Plumb also held faculty leadership positions at the University of Kansas (1989-1998), where he stepped in for a year as Acting Director of the Radar Systems and Remote Sensing Laboratory at the university’s Center for Research, and at the State University of New York at Binghamton (1998-2005), where he served as Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 

Born and raised in upstate New York, Dr. Plumb is proud to have been the first in his family to graduate from college. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Mary. Together, they have three adult children, Matthew, Lauren, and Sean, who are each happily married and have blessed them with seven grandchildren. Having hiked the Adirondacks while growing up, Dr. Plumb still enjoys hiking, backpacking and camping in his spare time and looks forward to exploring the great outdoors in the Green Mountain State. 

Vision & Values

Mission:
It is the Mission of St. Michael’s College to contribute through higher education to the enhancement of the human person and the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.

Vision:

  • To actively engage students with ideas developed over millennia in many world civilizations as well as those ideas from more recently emerging disciplines and assist students in the generative process of creating new understandings. For this engagement to be most productive requires that a student work closely with a faculty member who is deeply, actively, and demonstrably engaged in learning, for in a liberal arts college it is not so much acquired knowledge or personal belief that is passed on from one generation to the next, but rather curiosity and passion for the very ideas of the discipline.

  • To encourage the development of an empathetic understanding and respect for the differing views of others derived from their history, status or unique philosophical or religious belief. Such an understanding is to be developed through proximate experience grounded in religious, philosophical and historical contexts.

  • To take responsibility for the moral and spiritual development of each individual by employing the long Catholic intellectual tradition that sees no conflict between belief and reason. This is rooted in the belief that the world is “good” and that the dignity of each person needs to be acknowledged.

Board of Trustees

Saint Michael’s Board of Trustees

Chair of the Board

Ms. Patricia A. Casey
Educational Consultant (retired)
Newton, Massachusetts

Vice Chair of the Board

Mr. Mark S. Dalton ’72
Publishing Executive (retired)
Londonderry, New Hampshire

Members

Ansel Augustine, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Washington, District of Columbia

Mr. Jay A. Bellissimo ’87
Chief Operating Officer
Vonage
Naples, Florida

Rev. Msgr. Bernard W. Bourgeois
Pastor, Christ the King and
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Rutland, Vermont
Pastor, St. Patrick’s Parish
Wallingford, Vermont

Patrick N. Brown, Ph.D.  M’85
Executive Director, Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center
Burlington, Vermont

Gregory Brucato, MD, FACS ’82
Brucato Plastic Surgery Center
Ridgefield, Connecticut

Mr. Garrett B. Clark ’12
FSO Assurance Senior Manager
Ernst & Young
Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Rick Coté ’89
Owner/Associate Publisher
Twin Ponds Publishing/Williston Observer
Williston, Vermont

Very Rev. David G. Cray, SSE. ’68
Superior General
Society of St. Edmund
Colchester, Vermont

Rev. Stanley M. Deresienski, SSE ’75
Society of St. Edmund
Bonita Springs, Florida

Mr. Timothy E. Ford ’83
President and CEO, Center Street Brewing Company
Wallingford, Connecticut
Managing Director, NFP Property and Casualty Services
South Burlington, Vermont

Rev. Patrick J. Forman ’85
Pastor
St. Monica Parish
Barre, Vermont

Mr. William H. Gallagher H’19
CEO
Atlantic Data Services, Inc.
Braintree, Massachusetts

Rev. Thomas F. X. Hoar, SSE ’73
President
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Mystic, Connecticut

Mr. George C. Keady III ’79
Managing Director, Wealth Management (retired)
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Springfield, Massachusetts

Mr. Brian G. Lacey ’72
President
Lacey Entertainment
New York, New York

Ms. Suzanne M. Leous ’86
Director of Government Relations
American Society of Hematology
Arlington, Virginia

Mr. Chad D. McEachern ’91
Executive Director and CEO
Edmundite Southern Missions
Selma, Alabama

Mr. Philip F. McGovern, Esq. ’80
Partner
Connell Foley LLP
Jersey City, New Jersey

Robert H. Minetti, Ph.D. ’69
Vice President Emeritus
Bentley University
Natick, Massachusetts

Rev. Richard M. Myhalyk, SSE ’66
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Enders Island, Connecticut

Mr. Robert T. Noonan ’82
Partner/Accountant
KPMG LLP
Boston, Massachusetts

Celine R. Paquette, Ed.D.
President (retired), Paquette’s Insurance Agency
President, Samuel de Champlain History Center
Champlain, New York

Mr. James F. Phalen ’67
Principal and Consultant
James F. Phalen & Associates
Williston, Vermont

Richard Plumb, Ph.D.
President
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Rev. Marcel R. Rainville, SSE ’67
Campus Minister
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Tracy A. Romano, Ph.D.  ’86
Vice President of Research and Chief Scientist
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic, Connecticut

Ms. Elaine Stokes ’87
Vice President, Portfolio Manager (retired)
Loomis Sayles & Company
Boston, Massachusetts

Ms. Maureen Usifer, ’82
CFO (retired)
Seventh Generation, Inc.
Burlington, Vermont

Assistant Secretary to the Board (Staff)

Jennie M. Clarke

Emeritus Member of the Board

Mr. Gary N. Farrell ’63, H’99

Cabinet

President’s Cabinet

Rev. Brian J. Cummings, SSE ’86
Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry

Rev. Brian J. Cummings, S.S.E., is Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry. Fr. Brian is an active member of the Society of St. Edmund, and is the leader of the College’s campus ministry program. The eight person Edmundite Campus Ministry staff is a dedicated group of Catholic priests and lay people who provide spiritual guidance and opportunities for spiritual growth for the entire Saint Michael’s community. Their expertise ranges from pastoral counseling, to music ministry, to putting faith in action through domestic and international service trips and being there for those who need them.

Fr. Brian is a 1986 graduate of Saint Michael’s and a Certified Public Accountant, who worked in both public and private accounting in the New York City/New Jersey area following graduation. He began his formation for religious life and the priesthood in 1990, studying at Loyola University and Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans from 1990 to 1992. He received a Master’s of Divinity degree from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in May, 1996 and was ordained a priest in the Society of St. Edmund in June the same year.

Fr. Brian taught accounting at Saint Michael’s during the 1992-93 school year and served as an Instructor in the Department of Business and Accounting from 1996 to 2003. He also was an adjunct Instructor in the Religious Studies Department during the 1996-97 school year. He serves as Chaplain to the SMC Athletic Department, frequently traveling with teams and always supporting them and also as Chaplain of the SMC Fire and Rescue Department. Fr. Brian is fully engaged in student life at Saint Michael’s, working with students on campus in various roles, with the Liturgical Choir on tour, and working round the clock as the Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry.

Fr. Brian is also Spiritual Director of St. Anne’s Shrine a stunningly beautiful religious and historical site in Isle La Motte on the shores of Lake Champlain. The Shrine has newly constructed overnight accommodations and is the primary location for our campus retreats.

Fr. Brian serves in various positions of leadership in the Society of St. Edmund. He is a member of the General Council which is the governing body of the Society, a member of the Edmundite House Council and also serves as House Treasurer for the Edmundite Community at Saint Michael’s. He is a member of the Society’s Finance and Audit Committees and serves on the Board of Members and is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Edmundite Southern Mission in Selma, Alabama. Fr. Brian also serves the Diocese of Burlington as a member of the Finance Council and has also served on the Diocese’s Budget, Audit and Investment Committees as well as the Presbyteral Council, a consultative body of priests which advises the Bishop of Burlington.

Dr. Dawn M. Ellinwood
Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students

Dawn Ellinwood joined the Saint Michael’s community in July of 2012 as Vice President for Student Affairs. Dawn came to Saint Michael’s after serving as Dean of Students at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Dawn has worked at a variety of institutions higher education in the area Student Affairs over the past 30 years. In her six years at the College, Dawn has demonstrated great insight into student needs, which she has addressed with endless enthusiasm and rare energy.
Dawn earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Northeastern University in 1987; a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern in 1989; a Master of Education degree from Northeastern, earned the Dedicated Advocate Award, in 1992; and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in campus curriculum/educational leadership in 2003.

Dawn began her Student Affairs work as a graduate student at Northeastern where she was a residence director and research assistant. She continued her work in Residence Life by working at Clark University in Worcester, MA and then the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she did her doctoral work. Over the years, Dawn has served on numerous college committees at each institution to include the Hampshire College Strategic Planning Task Force and the Tobacco Task Force, leading both in the role of chairperson. She served on the board of Homework House in Holyoke, Massachusetts, the parent advisory council of Hampshire College Children’s Center, and as a volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister from 1996 to 2007. Dawn received the Campus Police Community Service Award in May of 2012 from the joint Campus Police Department of Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and Hampshire College. The Saint Michael’s Class of 2013 awarded her a Class Appreciation Award in appreciation of her dedication to the overall wellbeing of students on campus.

At Saint Michael’s, Dawn serves as the facilitator of the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and as a founding member of the Bias Response Team. To serve the greater Burlington community, Dawn currently works on the Board of Directors for Mercy Connections in Burlington, Vermont and in July 2018 will become the chairperson of this board.

Dawn is married to Peter Ferguson, who is a Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They have a daughter, Grace, and they reside in Williston.

Meghan Haley
Interim Vice President for Enrollment & Marketing

Meghan Haley joined Saint Michael’s College in June 2023. Meghan has over two decades of marketing and higher education experience and is a well-respected enrollment, strategic marketing, and communications leader. She has served in leadership roles at Rosemont College in Pennsylvania and Champlain College in Vermont.

Meghan founded Small Acts of Kindness (smallactsofkindnessvt.com), a grassroots effort to make the community a kinder place. She lives in Jericho with her partner, Drew, and together—with the support of many others—they are doing their best to raise good humans—Braden, Rowan, and Gabe.

Mr. Robert S. Robinson ‘91
Vice President of Finance

Rob Robinson joined the Saint Michael’s College Finance team in September 2007, and since his arrival on campus has worked on all aspects of the College’s financial and auxiliary services operations. Rob was a member of the Strategic Plan 2015 committee, and has been an advisor to the Saint Michael’s College Student Association since 2011.

Rob is a 1991 graduate of Saint Michael’s College with a degree in accounting, and was a four year member of the lacrosse team. Upon graduation, Rob worked at Banknorth Group from 1991 to 1999 in a variety of finance and financial business intelligence roles, before spending a year as a consultant with Dynamic Business Solutions. While with DBS, Rob helped implement a financial reporting solution for the College. From 2000 until 2007 Rob worked at IBM as a financial business intelligence analyst.

Rob met his wife Stephanie as students at Saint Michael’s, and were married in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel. Stephanie is the owner of Peace of Mind Pilates in Essex, and they have three sons, Alec, Sam, and Owen.

Dr. Gretchen Galbraith
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Past Presidents

Very Reverend Amand Prével, SSE 1904 – 1907
First President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation (the predecessor of the Board of Trustees) declared Amand Prével, a native of France, first President of the College in January 1904. Prével had been involved in higher education in France, both at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception in Laval and at Collège St-Michel in Château-Gontier, which he founded. He was also instrumental in setting up a secondary school named Saint Michael’s College in Hichin, England. This experience proved useful while setting up Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. His tenure was quite short, however, as he was soon elected Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund and returned to France in 1907.

Very Reverend Ernest M. Salmon, SSE 1907 – 1913
Second President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation elected Rev. Ernest Salmon President of the College following the 1907 General Chapter. Salmon had been at Saint Michael’s since its inception and was an easy choice to take over from Prével. During his term in office he oversaw the incorporation of the College by a special act of the Vermont legislature. This act gave the College the right to grant degrees (rather than simply giving diplomas). He served as Superior of the house until 1913, when he became the novice master and pastor of the parish in Swanton as well as Provincial of the Edmundites in America. He did, however, continue to serve as the head of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Michael’s Institute and as the President of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees.

Very Reverend Edmund M. Total, SSE 1913 – 1919
Third President

In September 1913, Superior General Jules Garnier named Fr. Edmund Total Superior of the Saint Michael’s College house. With this position, Fr. Total effectively took over the daily administration of the College. However, the Board of Trustees never elected Total President of the College. Fr. Ernest Salmon, as American Provincial, retained his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and was also elected President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College, officially making him ex officio President of the college. It is clear Fr. Total did take on most of the rights and responsibilities of the college president, however, and he is treated as one by the tradition of the College. During his term the College continued to run a high school and to slowly grow.

Very Reverend William Jeanmarie, SSE 1919 – 1931
Fourth President

In July 1919, Fr. Total moved to Swanton and Fr. Salmon, citing too many responsibilities elsewhere, resigned his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College. He recommended that Fr. William Jeanmarie become President, and the Board concurred. Fr. Jeanmarie, a native of Swanton Vermont, was one of the first Americans to become a member of the Society. He was at Saint Michael’s at its founding and spent only a few years away from the College before returning in 1912. During Jeanmarie’s term, the College underwent a period of growth. In 1920, he began to raise funds for a new building on campus, and in 1923 New Hall, later named Jeanmarie Hall, opened. He also oversaw the purchase of Prével Hall, and the Seguin property, which included St Joseph’s and Senior Halls along with farm property. The College ended the high school program during his tenure and gained its first accreditations (by the New York State of Regents, Catholic University, and Montreal University.) Jeanmarie was also quite successful in maintaining the College and providing leadership for the local house while the Society of Saint Edmund itself dissolved and then petitioned the Vatican for restoration. Following his 12 years as President, he returned to Swanton in 1931, where he remained until his death.

Very Reverend Eugene Alliot, SSE 1931 – 1934
Fifth President

Rev. Eugene Alliot, a native of France, became president of Saint Michael’s College after serving in various roles since 1907. His term of office was for the most part unremarkable, although he was President at the start of the Great Depression, a very difficult time for the College.

Very Reverend Leon E. Gosselin, SSE 1934 – 1940
Sixth President

Rev. Leon Gosselin was the first graduate of Saint Michael’s College to serve as President of the College. He was born in Rutland; and grew up in Springfield, Vermont. Much of his presidency was marked by planning for the future of the College. He set up both the Friends of SMC, an organization of lay people who raised the first substantial endowment for the College, and the Associate Trustees of the College as a way of promoting the college in local community and among alumni. He worked with the Vermont State Legislature to establish a scholarship program funded by the state ($1800 for 15 scholarships). The first alumni magazine was published during his term as well. In 1939, the College was officially accredited by NEASC following many years of formal association with the American Association of Colleges. Gosselin was also instrumental in establishing Fire District Number 1 in the town of Colchester, the water district that supplies water to Winooski Park, including SMC, Fanny Allen Hospital and Fort Ethan Allen.

Very Reverend James H. Petty, SSE 1940 – 1946
Seventh President

Fr. James Petty, who was born in Portland, Maine and came to Vermont at the age of 16. He attended Saint Anne’s Academy, the Society’s secondary school in Swanton and lived with the community during his time there. He then attended Saint Michael’s. After his ordination, he returned to SMC and held many different positions. He also worked in Swanton and in Putney before returning to Saint Michael’s as president. Soon after Petty began as president, on the eve of World War II, all the men on campus between the ages of 21 and 35 registered for the draft. Students joined the military in huge numbers following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enrollment went down significantly. In an effort to remain solvent and meet the needs of the students, the College accelerated all courses so that graduation was pushed forward by a few months for the class of 1942 to almost a year for the class of 1944. All students remained in class for the summer. By 1943, both returning and new students were scarce, although again the president and administration attempted to fill the classroom with nurses from Fanny Allen Hospital nursing program. The nurses not only took classes but also lived on campus, although separated from male students by Route 15. Fr. Petty’s term ended in 1946, after he successfully maneuvered the College through the extremely difficult war period and began to prepare for the return of the veterans to campus. One of his last acts as president was to put procedures in motion for the purchase of the surplus army buildings that were to populate campus for the next decades.

Very Reverend Daniel P. Lyons, SSE ’26, H’60 1946 – 1952
Eighth President

Fr. Danny Lyons became president following the General Chapter of 1946. Lyons, a native Vermonter, had been at Saint Michael’s since 1930 in a variety of capacities. He was president during a time of extraordinary growth for the College. Veterans returned to campus in such large numbers that the College was absolutely transformed by them. The AFROTC program was added during his term, and he helped institute a retirement plan for employees. During his term as President, the College finalized the purchase of the surplus army buildings that became known as Miketown, purchased some land at Fort Ethan Allen and built Cheray Hall, the first new building in over 20 years. Fr. Lyons also oversaw the building of Ryan Hall, the first of the quad dorms. In 1947, the School of Drama, later to become Saint Michael’s Playhouse, first came to campus.

Very Reverend Francis E. Moriarty, SSE ’40, H’88 1952 – 1958, 1974 – 1976
Ninth President and Twelfth President

Father Moriarty was appointed to the position of President of Saint Michael’s College in 1952. He became the last president to serve also as Superior of the local SSE house. Moriarty had attended Saint Michael’s and returned within a couple of years of his graduation. He then went to become principal of the newly established SSE apostolate Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk, NY. After gaining valuable administrative skills at CMHS, he returned to Saint Michael’s as president. He took over as the school was about to launch the innovative Saint Michael’s Plan of liberal education. He was at the helm as the school expanded to include an international component with the Center for International Programs and Teaching English as A Second Language programs. The campus itself expanded under his leadership, with new quad dorms added to house an ever-increasing number of men.

In 1974, upon the resignation of Bernard Boutin, Rev. Francis Moriarty once again became President of the College. He managed to keep the College on an even keel while the trustees engaged in a formal search for another lay president.

Very Reverend Gerald E. Dupont, SSE ’35 1958 – 1969
Tenth President

In August 1958 Superior General Jeremiah Purtill wrote a memo outlining the roles of the President of Saint Michael’s College and the Superior of the Saint Michael’s House. The memo noted that the role of the president had grown too complex and that religious living in the SMC House needed to have the same governance and oversight offered in other SSE houses. Therefore, he split the roles of Superior of the House and office of the President. The role of the president then became to run the College in temporal and all other ways, the role of the Superior was to administer the house and the religious assigned to it in spiritual and other matters. Superior General Purtill then appointed Father Vincent Maloney Superior of the house and Fr. Gerald Dupont took over as President of the College. Although he was originally from Rhode Island, he attended Saint Michael’s and spent all of his priestly life at Saint Michael’s after attending graduate school in Toronto and Montreal. His ten-year term of office is marked by the continued growth of the College. Dupont oversaw the continued construction of buildings on campus, including Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel, Durick Library, Alliot Hall, and the final two quad residence halls. Students continued to attend at record rates. Student life changed as the makeup of the student body changed from returning GI’s to primarily 18-22 year old students. Financial growth did not follow the other trends however, and fiscal problems grew throughout his term. Of most importance however, was the groundwork he laid for the eventual switch to lay leadership. Dupont was not unaware of the impact such a change was likely to have and there is some evidence that he planned significantly for something he saw as inevitable.

Bernard Louis Boutin ’45, H’63 1969 – 1974
Eleventh President

President Bernard Boutin became the first lay president of the College in 1969. Boutin had served on the Board of Trustees since its inception in 1967; making him well prepared to head up the school. He was a graduate of the College and had been quite involved in the College since leaving. He had also been involved in politics, serving as mayor of Laconia New Hampshire and working for the Kennedy administration. As the leader of the school during the major transition from religious to lay leadership, he had a tough job ahead of him. Boutin is best remembered for bringing women to Saint Michael’s, an act that succeeded not only in opening up the campus to women, but also to pulling the College out of a crippling debt. In 1970, 22 women enrolled at Saint Michael’s, and it remains coeducational. Despite the relatively short tenure of his term, Boutin was also quite successful in fundraising, raising funds for the building of Ross Sports Center and McCarthy Arts Center, two significant buildings that contributed significantly to student life on campus.

Edward L. Henry, Ph.D. H’87 1976 – 1985
Thirteenth President

The Board of Trustees elected Edward Henry president of Saint Michael’s College on October 3, 1975. He began work in April 1976. Prior to arriving at Saint Michael’s he had been vice president for development at St. Johns University after serving as president of St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. and mayor of St. Cloud, MN. President Henry oversaw the College through a period of mild growth and the establishment of the College as a coeducational liberal arts college ready to enter a new phase in its history. One of his early actions as president was meeting with major stakeholders and producing a statement that called for a “liberal education in the light of the Catholic faith.” (The phrase “in the light of the Catholic faith” eventually became part of the mission of the college.) He led the College as it developed a new core curriculum, placed a premium on on-campus living and on campus life. He also made tough choices to increase tuition and hold down enrollment at a time when many Catholic colleges were closing. During his term, the College made an effort to include the community in events and expanded its continuing education offerings. He announced his intention to leave in 1983, but remained in office until June 30 1985, when Dr. Paul Reiss began as president.

Paul J. Reiss, Ph.D. H’05 1985 – 1996
Fourteenth President

Dr. Paul Reiss was inaugurated as president of Saint Michael’s College on the Feast of St. Edmund, September 29, 1985. A native of Lake Placid, New York, he earned his B.S. at Holy Cross, M.A. at Fordham University, and Ph.D. at Harvard University. Reiss served on the faculty at Marquette University and then at Fordham University, where he also served as academic and then executive vice-president. President Reiss led the College in strengthening its commitment to its Edmundite Catholic mission and led the College through eleven years of increased enrollment, expanded curricular offerings, the establishment of the honors program, institutionalization of continuing education, the development of international programs, with Japan and China, and in the initiation of the student Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) program. He instituted a major campus development program and fund-raising campaign which resulted in St. Edmund’s Hall, a major addition to the library, the international commons, and the Tarrant Recreation Center as well as major renovations to Jeanmarie Hall, Cheray Science Hall, Alliot Student Center and other campus buildings. Dr. Reiss contributed the funds for the construction of the President’s house which the College later named for him. He retired effective June 1996 and returned to his “hometown” where he continues to administer educational summer camp programs for inner-city youth. He also serves as the founding president of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks with a mission to extend mercy and justice to elders living in the community.

Marc A. VanderHeyden, Ph.D. 1996 – 2007
Fifteenth President

Marc VanderHeyden, a native of Belgium, became president of Saint Michael’s in 1996 after serving as provost at Marist College and working at Rider College and Cedar Crest College. He took over after a very successful Reiss presidency and so, unlike most of his predecessors, was not mired in crises from the outset. He spent a year listening and learning on campus before beginning to implement changes or his own vision. In contrast to Reiss before him, he focused very much on the undergraduate liberal educational experience, eventually closing the Prevel School to devote more energy to the undergraduate curriculum. He also renewed interest in North campus properties at Fort Ethan Allen and encouraged students’ staff and faculty, as well as the Society of Saint Edmund, to renew interest in their own history. He started the Pontigny Heritage Trips encouraging travel to France and England in an effort to understand the Society of Saint Edmund and their patron saint. He oversaw an expansive capital campaign that raised the College endowment significantly. The College finally achieved its goal of 100 percent residency on campus with the addition of three new dormitories during his tenure. His “Vision 2010” plan included the following institutional strategies – a foundation and future in faith, academic excellence, centrality of students, strength in community and fiscal responsibility through resource acquisition and accountability. During his term the College also became a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He formally announced his retirement in May 2006.

John J. Neuhauser, Ph.D. 2007- 2018
Sixteenth President

Dr. John J. Neuhauser was named president of Saint Michael’s College in 2007 after serving as University Professor of Boston College. Professor Neuhauser was academic vice president and dean of faculties at Boston College from 1999 to 2005 and, before that, dean and professor of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management from 1977 to 1999.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Neuhauser earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Manhattan College in 1964, a master’s in operations research and statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, and a doctorate in operations research and statistics: mathematics, also from Rensselaer, in 1968. He has an impressive record of publications in creative computing and business.

During Dr. Neuhauser’s tenure at Saint Michael’s, the campus has undergone significant improvements and been able to reduce its carbon footprint. The Dion Student Family Center, the Quad Residence Halls and the Pomerleau Alumni Center were all built to improve the student and alumni experience with minimal environmental impact. President Neuhauser has led the College successfully through the 2008 recession and has been noted in higher education media outlets for his plan of “shrinking strategically” in response to fewer high school graduates in the Northeast. In 2012 Saint Michael’s became a founding member of the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium, a collaborative of Colleges created to reduce costs and improve services to its members.

Through Dr. Neuhauser’s support and leadership, the College also has made great strides in linking the lifelong benefits of a liberal arts education with applied, experiential learning through initiatives like mentored summer research that offers students in all majors opportunities to learn alongside faculty doing projects more typical for graduate-level students. In recent years the College also made a concerted effort to help make its exceptional education affordable for disadvantaged, promising students. Saint Michael’s became a member of the American Talent Initiative and the Coalition for Access Affordability and Success, two important national initiatives. The College also created Saint Michael’s Accelerated Summer College, which provides students a way to lower their cost of attendance by taking courses outside of the regular semester schedule.

Dr. Neuhauser has been a member of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees since 2001. He is the father of three grown children and grandfather of seven. He has completed the Boston Marathon seven times.

Lorraine Sterritt, Ph.D. 2018- 2023
Seventeenth President

Dr. Lorraine Sterritt served as 17th president of Saint Michael’s College from 2018-2023. Dr. Sterritt was the first woman to hold the position in the College’s history.

Born and raised in Ireland, Dr. Sterritt moved to the United States in 1985 after receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French at The Queen’s University of Belfast, Ireland. She received her second master’s and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Dr. Sterritt spent her entire career in education. After completing her degrees at Princeton University, where she also served as Assistant Master of Wilson College, she served as associate dean of freshmen at Harvard University before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as dean of freshmen and director of academic advising. She then served as an administrator with teaching roles at Stanford University, and as associate dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Humanities and Sciences. From there she moved to Harvard, where she was a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and dean for administration at Harvard College. Sterritt served as president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for four years before coming to Vermont to serve as Saint Michael’s College’s 17th president.

Staff

Linda Murphy
Executive Assistant to the President
802 654.2701
lmurphy3@smcvt.edu

Linda serves as the interface between the President and all internal and external constituencies at and beyond Saint Michael’s College. She provides high-level support across a broad range of administrative responsibilities. In previous roles, Linda has served as assistant to the President’s office to five presidents and two interim presidents. She most recently served as administrative assistant to the Mayor of Burlington. Linda holds an MA in Student Personnel Administration and an MBA. She loves hiking, walking, reading and the Buffalo Bills.

Vision & Values

Mission:
It is the Mission of St. Michael’s College to contribute through higher education to the enhancement of the human person and the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.

Vision:

  • To actively engage students with ideas developed over millennia in many world civilizations as well as those ideas from more recently emerging disciplines and assist students in the generative process of creating new understandings. For this engagement to be most productive requires that a student work closely with a faculty member who is deeply, actively, and demonstrably engaged in learning, for in a liberal arts college it is not so much acquired knowledge or personal belief that is passed on from one generation to the next, but rather curiosity and passion for the very ideas of the discipline.

  • To encourage the development of an empathetic understanding and respect for the differing views of others derived from their history, status or unique philosophical or religious belief. Such an understanding is to be developed through proximate experience grounded in religious, philosophical and historical contexts.

  • To take responsibility for the moral and spiritual development of each individual by employing the long Catholic intellectual tradition that sees no conflict between belief and reason. This is rooted in the belief that the world is “good” and that the dignity of each person needs to be acknowledged.

Board of Trustees

Saint Michael’s Board of Trustees

Chair of the Board

Ms. Patricia A. Casey
Educational Consultant (retired)
Newton, Massachusetts

Vice Chair of the Board

Mr. Mark S. Dalton ’72
Publishing Executive (retired)
Londonderry, New Hampshire

Members

Ansel Augustine, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Washington, District of Columbia

Mr. Jay A. Bellissimo ’87
Chief Operating Officer
Vonage
Naples, Florida

Rev. Msgr. Bernard W. Bourgeois
Pastor, Christ the King and
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Rutland, Vermont
Pastor, St. Patrick’s Parish
Wallingford, Vermont

Patrick N. Brown, Ph.D.  M’85
Executive Director, Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center
Burlington, Vermont

Gregory Brucato, MD, FACS ’82
Brucato Plastic Surgery Center
Ridgefield, Connecticut

Mr. Garrett B. Clark ’12
FSO Assurance Senior Manager
Ernst & Young
Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Rick Coté ’89
Owner/Associate Publisher
Twin Ponds Publishing/Williston Observer
Williston, Vermont

Very Rev. David G. Cray, SSE. ’68
Superior General
Society of St. Edmund
Colchester, Vermont

Rev. Stanley M. Deresienski, SSE ’75
Society of St. Edmund
Bonita Springs, Florida

Mr. Timothy E. Ford ’83
President and CEO, Center Street Brewing Company
Wallingford, Connecticut
Managing Director, NFP Property and Casualty Services
South Burlington, Vermont

Rev. Patrick J. Forman ’85
Pastor
St. Monica Parish
Barre, Vermont

Mr. William H. Gallagher H’19
CEO
Atlantic Data Services, Inc.
Braintree, Massachusetts

Rev. Thomas F. X. Hoar, SSE ’73
President
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Mystic, Connecticut

Mr. George C. Keady III ’79
Managing Director, Wealth Management (retired)
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Springfield, Massachusetts

Mr. Brian G. Lacey ’72
President
Lacey Entertainment
New York, New York

Ms. Suzanne M. Leous ’86
Director of Government Relations
American Society of Hematology
Arlington, Virginia

Mr. Chad D. McEachern ’91
Executive Director and CEO
Edmundite Southern Missions
Selma, Alabama

Mr. Philip F. McGovern, Esq. ’80
Partner
Connell Foley LLP
Jersey City, New Jersey

Robert H. Minetti, Ph.D. ’69
Vice President Emeritus
Bentley University
Natick, Massachusetts

Rev. Richard M. Myhalyk, SSE ’66
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Enders Island, Connecticut

Mr. Robert T. Noonan ’82
Partner/Accountant
KPMG LLP
Boston, Massachusetts

Celine R. Paquette, Ed.D.
President (retired), Paquette’s Insurance Agency
President, Samuel de Champlain History Center
Champlain, New York

Mr. James F. Phalen ’67
Principal and Consultant
James F. Phalen & Associates
Williston, Vermont

Richard Plumb, Ph.D.
President
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Rev. Marcel R. Rainville, SSE ’67
Campus Minister
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Tracy A. Romano, Ph.D.  ’86
Vice President of Research and Chief Scientist
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic, Connecticut

Ms. Elaine Stokes ’87
Vice President, Portfolio Manager (retired)
Loomis Sayles & Company
Boston, Massachusetts

Ms. Maureen Usifer, ’82
CFO (retired)
Seventh Generation, Inc.
Burlington, Vermont

Assistant Secretary to the Board (Staff)

Jennie M. Clarke

Emeritus Member of the Board

Mr. Gary N. Farrell ’63, H’99

Cabinet

President’s Cabinet

Rev. Brian J. Cummings, SSE ’86
Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry

Rev. Brian J. Cummings, S.S.E., is Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry. Fr. Brian is an active member of the Society of St. Edmund, and is the leader of the College’s campus ministry program. The eight person Edmundite Campus Ministry staff is a dedicated group of Catholic priests and lay people who provide spiritual guidance and opportunities for spiritual growth for the entire Saint Michael’s community. Their expertise ranges from pastoral counseling, to music ministry, to putting faith in action through domestic and international service trips and being there for those who need them.

Fr. Brian is a 1986 graduate of Saint Michael’s and a Certified Public Accountant, who worked in both public and private accounting in the New York City/New Jersey area following graduation. He began his formation for religious life and the priesthood in 1990, studying at Loyola University and Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans from 1990 to 1992. He received a Master’s of Divinity degree from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in May, 1996 and was ordained a priest in the Society of St. Edmund in June the same year.

Fr. Brian taught accounting at Saint Michael’s during the 1992-93 school year and served as an Instructor in the Department of Business and Accounting from 1996 to 2003. He also was an adjunct Instructor in the Religious Studies Department during the 1996-97 school year. He serves as Chaplain to the SMC Athletic Department, frequently traveling with teams and always supporting them and also as Chaplain of the SMC Fire and Rescue Department. Fr. Brian is fully engaged in student life at Saint Michael’s, working with students on campus in various roles, with the Liturgical Choir on tour, and working round the clock as the Director of Edmundite Campus Ministry.

Fr. Brian is also Spiritual Director of St. Anne’s Shrine a stunningly beautiful religious and historical site in Isle La Motte on the shores of Lake Champlain. The Shrine has newly constructed overnight accommodations and is the primary location for our campus retreats.

Fr. Brian serves in various positions of leadership in the Society of St. Edmund. He is a member of the General Council which is the governing body of the Society, a member of the Edmundite House Council and also serves as House Treasurer for the Edmundite Community at Saint Michael’s. He is a member of the Society’s Finance and Audit Committees and serves on the Board of Members and is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Edmundite Southern Mission in Selma, Alabama. Fr. Brian also serves the Diocese of Burlington as a member of the Finance Council and has also served on the Diocese’s Budget, Audit and Investment Committees as well as the Presbyteral Council, a consultative body of priests which advises the Bishop of Burlington.

Dr. Dawn M. Ellinwood
Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students

Dawn Ellinwood joined the Saint Michael’s community in July of 2012 as Vice President for Student Affairs. Dawn came to Saint Michael’s after serving as Dean of Students at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Dawn has worked at a variety of institutions higher education in the area Student Affairs over the past 30 years. In her six years at the College, Dawn has demonstrated great insight into student needs, which she has addressed with endless enthusiasm and rare energy.
Dawn earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Northeastern University in 1987; a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern in 1989; a Master of Education degree from Northeastern, earned the Dedicated Advocate Award, in 1992; and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in campus curriculum/educational leadership in 2003.

Dawn began her Student Affairs work as a graduate student at Northeastern where she was a residence director and research assistant. She continued her work in Residence Life by working at Clark University in Worcester, MA and then the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she did her doctoral work. Over the years, Dawn has served on numerous college committees at each institution to include the Hampshire College Strategic Planning Task Force and the Tobacco Task Force, leading both in the role of chairperson. She served on the board of Homework House in Holyoke, Massachusetts, the parent advisory council of Hampshire College Children’s Center, and as a volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister from 1996 to 2007. Dawn received the Campus Police Community Service Award in May of 2012 from the joint Campus Police Department of Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and Hampshire College. The Saint Michael’s Class of 2013 awarded her a Class Appreciation Award in appreciation of her dedication to the overall wellbeing of students on campus.

At Saint Michael’s, Dawn serves as the facilitator of the College’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and as a founding member of the Bias Response Team. To serve the greater Burlington community, Dawn currently works on the Board of Directors for Mercy Connections in Burlington, Vermont and in July 2018 will become the chairperson of this board.

Dawn is married to Peter Ferguson, who is a Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They have a daughter, Grace, and they reside in Williston.

Meghan Haley
Interim Vice President for Enrollment & Marketing

Meghan Haley joined Saint Michael’s College in June 2023. Meghan has over two decades of marketing and higher education experience and is a well-respected enrollment, strategic marketing, and communications leader. She has served in leadership roles at Rosemont College in Pennsylvania and Champlain College in Vermont.

Meghan founded Small Acts of Kindness (smallactsofkindnessvt.com), a grassroots effort to make the community a kinder place. She lives in Jericho with her partner, Drew, and together—with the support of many others—they are doing their best to raise good humans—Braden, Rowan, and Gabe.

Mr. Robert S. Robinson ‘91
Vice President of Finance

Rob Robinson joined the Saint Michael’s College Finance team in September 2007, and since his arrival on campus has worked on all aspects of the College’s financial and auxiliary services operations. Rob was a member of the Strategic Plan 2015 committee, and has been an advisor to the Saint Michael’s College Student Association since 2011.

Rob is a 1991 graduate of Saint Michael’s College with a degree in accounting, and was a four year member of the lacrosse team. Upon graduation, Rob worked at Banknorth Group from 1991 to 1999 in a variety of finance and financial business intelligence roles, before spending a year as a consultant with Dynamic Business Solutions. While with DBS, Rob helped implement a financial reporting solution for the College. From 2000 until 2007 Rob worked at IBM as a financial business intelligence analyst.

Rob met his wife Stephanie as students at Saint Michael’s, and were married in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel. Stephanie is the owner of Peace of Mind Pilates in Essex, and they have three sons, Alec, Sam, and Owen.

Dr. Gretchen Galbraith
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Past Presidents

Very Reverend Amand Prével, SSE 1904 – 1907
First President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation (the predecessor of the Board of Trustees) declared Amand Prével, a native of France, first President of the College in January 1904. Prével had been involved in higher education in France, both at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception in Laval and at Collège St-Michel in Château-Gontier, which he founded. He was also instrumental in setting up a secondary school named Saint Michael’s College in Hichin, England. This experience proved useful while setting up Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. His tenure was quite short, however, as he was soon elected Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund and returned to France in 1907.

Very Reverend Ernest M. Salmon, SSE 1907 – 1913
Second President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation elected Rev. Ernest Salmon President of the College following the 1907 General Chapter. Salmon had been at Saint Michael’s since its inception and was an easy choice to take over from Prével. During his term in office he oversaw the incorporation of the College by a special act of the Vermont legislature. This act gave the College the right to grant degrees (rather than simply giving diplomas). He served as Superior of the house until 1913, when he became the novice master and pastor of the parish in Swanton as well as Provincial of the Edmundites in America. He did, however, continue to serve as the head of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Michael’s Institute and as the President of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees.

Very Reverend Edmund M. Total, SSE 1913 – 1919
Third President

In September 1913, Superior General Jules Garnier named Fr. Edmund Total Superior of the Saint Michael’s College house. With this position, Fr. Total effectively took over the daily administration of the College. However, the Board of Trustees never elected Total President of the College. Fr. Ernest Salmon, as American Provincial, retained his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and was also elected President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College, officially making him ex officio President of the college. It is clear Fr. Total did take on most of the rights and responsibilities of the college president, however, and he is treated as one by the tradition of the College. During his term the College continued to run a high school and to slowly grow.

Very Reverend William Jeanmarie, SSE 1919 – 1931
Fourth President

In July 1919, Fr. Total moved to Swanton and Fr. Salmon, citing too many responsibilities elsewhere, resigned his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College. He recommended that Fr. William Jeanmarie become President, and the Board concurred. Fr. Jeanmarie, a native of Swanton Vermont, was one of the first Americans to become a member of the Society. He was at Saint Michael’s at its founding and spent only a few years away from the College before returning in 1912. During Jeanmarie’s term, the College underwent a period of growth. In 1920, he began to raise funds for a new building on campus, and in 1923 New Hall, later named Jeanmarie Hall, opened. He also oversaw the purchase of Prével Hall, and the Seguin property, which included St Joseph’s and Senior Halls along with farm property. The College ended the high school program during his tenure and gained its first accreditations (by the New York State of Regents, Catholic University, and Montreal University.) Jeanmarie was also quite successful in maintaining the College and providing leadership for the local house while the Society of Saint Edmund itself dissolved and then petitioned the Vatican for restoration. Following his 12 years as President, he returned to Swanton in 1931, where he remained until his death.

Very Reverend Eugene Alliot, SSE 1931 – 1934
Fifth President

Rev. Eugene Alliot, a native of France, became president of Saint Michael’s College after serving in various roles since 1907. His term of office was for the most part unremarkable, although he was President at the start of the Great Depression, a very difficult time for the College.

Very Reverend Leon E. Gosselin, SSE 1934 – 1940
Sixth President

Rev. Leon Gosselin was the first graduate of Saint Michael’s College to serve as President of the College. He was born in Rutland; and grew up in Springfield, Vermont. Much of his presidency was marked by planning for the future of the College. He set up both the Friends of SMC, an organization of lay people who raised the first substantial endowment for the College, and the Associate Trustees of the College as a way of promoting the college in local community and among alumni. He worked with the Vermont State Legislature to establish a scholarship program funded by the state ($1800 for 15 scholarships). The first alumni magazine was published during his term as well. In 1939, the College was officially accredited by NEASC following many years of formal association with the American Association of Colleges. Gosselin was also instrumental in establishing Fire District Number 1 in the town of Colchester, the water district that supplies water to Winooski Park, including SMC, Fanny Allen Hospital and Fort Ethan Allen.

Very Reverend James H. Petty, SSE 1940 – 1946
Seventh President

Fr. James Petty, who was born in Portland, Maine and came to Vermont at the age of 16. He attended Saint Anne’s Academy, the Society’s secondary school in Swanton and lived with the community during his time there. He then attended Saint Michael’s. After his ordination, he returned to SMC and held many different positions. He also worked in Swanton and in Putney before returning to Saint Michael’s as president. Soon after Petty began as president, on the eve of World War II, all the men on campus between the ages of 21 and 35 registered for the draft. Students joined the military in huge numbers following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enrollment went down significantly. In an effort to remain solvent and meet the needs of the students, the College accelerated all courses so that graduation was pushed forward by a few months for the class of 1942 to almost a year for the class of 1944. All students remained in class for the summer. By 1943, both returning and new students were scarce, although again the president and administration attempted to fill the classroom with nurses from Fanny Allen Hospital nursing program. The nurses not only took classes but also lived on campus, although separated from male students by Route 15. Fr. Petty’s term ended in 1946, after he successfully maneuvered the College through the extremely difficult war period and began to prepare for the return of the veterans to campus. One of his last acts as president was to put procedures in motion for the purchase of the surplus army buildings that were to populate campus for the next decades.

Very Reverend Daniel P. Lyons, SSE ’26, H’60 1946 – 1952
Eighth President

Fr. Danny Lyons became president following the General Chapter of 1946. Lyons, a native Vermonter, had been at Saint Michael’s since 1930 in a variety of capacities. He was president during a time of extraordinary growth for the College. Veterans returned to campus in such large numbers that the College was absolutely transformed by them. The AFROTC program was added during his term, and he helped institute a retirement plan for employees. During his term as President, the College finalized the purchase of the surplus army buildings that became known as Miketown, purchased some land at Fort Ethan Allen and built Cheray Hall, the first new building in over 20 years. Fr. Lyons also oversaw the building of Ryan Hall, the first of the quad dorms. In 1947, the School of Drama, later to become Saint Michael’s Playhouse, first came to campus.

Very Reverend Francis E. Moriarty, SSE ’40, H’88 1952 – 1958, 1974 – 1976
Ninth President and Twelfth President

Father Moriarty was appointed to the position of President of Saint Michael’s College in 1952. He became the last president to serve also as Superior of the local SSE house. Moriarty had attended Saint Michael’s and returned within a couple of years of his graduation. He then went to become principal of the newly established SSE apostolate Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk, NY. After gaining valuable administrative skills at CMHS, he returned to Saint Michael’s as president. He took over as the school was about to launch the innovative Saint Michael’s Plan of liberal education. He was at the helm as the school expanded to include an international component with the Center for International Programs and Teaching English as A Second Language programs. The campus itself expanded under his leadership, with new quad dorms added to house an ever-increasing number of men.

In 1974, upon the resignation of Bernard Boutin, Rev. Francis Moriarty once again became President of the College. He managed to keep the College on an even keel while the trustees engaged in a formal search for another lay president.

Very Reverend Gerald E. Dupont, SSE ’35 1958 – 1969
Tenth President

In August 1958 Superior General Jeremiah Purtill wrote a memo outlining the roles of the President of Saint Michael’s College and the Superior of the Saint Michael’s House. The memo noted that the role of the president had grown too complex and that religious living in the SMC House needed to have the same governance and oversight offered in other SSE houses. Therefore, he split the roles of Superior of the House and office of the President. The role of the president then became to run the College in temporal and all other ways, the role of the Superior was to administer the house and the religious assigned to it in spiritual and other matters. Superior General Purtill then appointed Father Vincent Maloney Superior of the house and Fr. Gerald Dupont took over as President of the College. Although he was originally from Rhode Island, he attended Saint Michael’s and spent all of his priestly life at Saint Michael’s after attending graduate school in Toronto and Montreal. His ten-year term of office is marked by the continued growth of the College. Dupont oversaw the continued construction of buildings on campus, including Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel, Durick Library, Alliot Hall, and the final two quad residence halls. Students continued to attend at record rates. Student life changed as the makeup of the student body changed from returning GI’s to primarily 18-22 year old students. Financial growth did not follow the other trends however, and fiscal problems grew throughout his term. Of most importance however, was the groundwork he laid for the eventual switch to lay leadership. Dupont was not unaware of the impact such a change was likely to have and there is some evidence that he planned significantly for something he saw as inevitable.

Bernard Louis Boutin ’45, H’63 1969 – 1974
Eleventh President

President Bernard Boutin became the first lay president of the College in 1969. Boutin had served on the Board of Trustees since its inception in 1967; making him well prepared to head up the school. He was a graduate of the College and had been quite involved in the College since leaving. He had also been involved in politics, serving as mayor of Laconia New Hampshire and working for the Kennedy administration. As the leader of the school during the major transition from religious to lay leadership, he had a tough job ahead of him. Boutin is best remembered for bringing women to Saint Michael’s, an act that succeeded not only in opening up the campus to women, but also to pulling the College out of a crippling debt. In 1970, 22 women enrolled at Saint Michael’s, and it remains coeducational. Despite the relatively short tenure of his term, Boutin was also quite successful in fundraising, raising funds for the building of Ross Sports Center and McCarthy Arts Center, two significant buildings that contributed significantly to student life on campus.

Edward L. Henry, Ph.D. H’87 1976 – 1985
Thirteenth President

The Board of Trustees elected Edward Henry president of Saint Michael’s College on October 3, 1975. He began work in April 1976. Prior to arriving at Saint Michael’s he had been vice president for development at St. Johns University after serving as president of St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. and mayor of St. Cloud, MN. President Henry oversaw the College through a period of mild growth and the establishment of the College as a coeducational liberal arts college ready to enter a new phase in its history. One of his early actions as president was meeting with major stakeholders and producing a statement that called for a “liberal education in the light of the Catholic faith.” (The phrase “in the light of the Catholic faith” eventually became part of the mission of the college.) He led the College as it developed a new core curriculum, placed a premium on on-campus living and on campus life. He also made tough choices to increase tuition and hold down enrollment at a time when many Catholic colleges were closing. During his term, the College made an effort to include the community in events and expanded its continuing education offerings. He announced his intention to leave in 1983, but remained in office until June 30 1985, when Dr. Paul Reiss began as president.

Paul J. Reiss, Ph.D. H’05 1985 – 1996
Fourteenth President

Dr. Paul Reiss was inaugurated as president of Saint Michael’s College on the Feast of St. Edmund, September 29, 1985. A native of Lake Placid, New York, he earned his B.S. at Holy Cross, M.A. at Fordham University, and Ph.D. at Harvard University. Reiss served on the faculty at Marquette University and then at Fordham University, where he also served as academic and then executive vice-president. President Reiss led the College in strengthening its commitment to its Edmundite Catholic mission and led the College through eleven years of increased enrollment, expanded curricular offerings, the establishment of the honors program, institutionalization of continuing education, the development of international programs, with Japan and China, and in the initiation of the student Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) program. He instituted a major campus development program and fund-raising campaign which resulted in St. Edmund’s Hall, a major addition to the library, the international commons, and the Tarrant Recreation Center as well as major renovations to Jeanmarie Hall, Cheray Science Hall, Alliot Student Center and other campus buildings. Dr. Reiss contributed the funds for the construction of the President’s house which the College later named for him. He retired effective June 1996 and returned to his “hometown” where he continues to administer educational summer camp programs for inner-city youth. He also serves as the founding president of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks with a mission to extend mercy and justice to elders living in the community.

Marc A. VanderHeyden, Ph.D. 1996 – 2007
Fifteenth President

Marc VanderHeyden, a native of Belgium, became president of Saint Michael’s in 1996 after serving as provost at Marist College and working at Rider College and Cedar Crest College. He took over after a very successful Reiss presidency and so, unlike most of his predecessors, was not mired in crises from the outset. He spent a year listening and learning on campus before beginning to implement changes or his own vision. In contrast to Reiss before him, he focused very much on the undergraduate liberal educational experience, eventually closing the Prevel School to devote more energy to the undergraduate curriculum. He also renewed interest in North campus properties at Fort Ethan Allen and encouraged students’ staff and faculty, as well as the Society of Saint Edmund, to renew interest in their own history. He started the Pontigny Heritage Trips encouraging travel to France and England in an effort to understand the Society of Saint Edmund and their patron saint. He oversaw an expansive capital campaign that raised the College endowment significantly. The College finally achieved its goal of 100 percent residency on campus with the addition of three new dormitories during his tenure. His “Vision 2010” plan included the following institutional strategies – a foundation and future in faith, academic excellence, centrality of students, strength in community and fiscal responsibility through resource acquisition and accountability. During his term the College also became a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He formally announced his retirement in May 2006.

John J. Neuhauser, Ph.D. 2007- 2018
Sixteenth President

Dr. John J. Neuhauser was named president of Saint Michael’s College in 2007 after serving as University Professor of Boston College. Professor Neuhauser was academic vice president and dean of faculties at Boston College from 1999 to 2005 and, before that, dean and professor of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management from 1977 to 1999.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Neuhauser earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Manhattan College in 1964, a master’s in operations research and statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, and a doctorate in operations research and statistics: mathematics, also from Rensselaer, in 1968. He has an impressive record of publications in creative computing and business.

During Dr. Neuhauser’s tenure at Saint Michael’s, the campus has undergone significant improvements and been able to reduce its carbon footprint. The Dion Student Family Center, the Quad Residence Halls and the Pomerleau Alumni Center were all built to improve the student and alumni experience with minimal environmental impact. President Neuhauser has led the College successfully through the 2008 recession and has been noted in higher education media outlets for his plan of “shrinking strategically” in response to fewer high school graduates in the Northeast. In 2012 Saint Michael’s became a founding member of the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium, a collaborative of Colleges created to reduce costs and improve services to its members.

Through Dr. Neuhauser’s support and leadership, the College also has made great strides in linking the lifelong benefits of a liberal arts education with applied, experiential learning through initiatives like mentored summer research that offers students in all majors opportunities to learn alongside faculty doing projects more typical for graduate-level students. In recent years the College also made a concerted effort to help make its exceptional education affordable for disadvantaged, promising students. Saint Michael’s became a member of the American Talent Initiative and the Coalition for Access Affordability and Success, two important national initiatives. The College also created Saint Michael’s Accelerated Summer College, which provides students a way to lower their cost of attendance by taking courses outside of the regular semester schedule.

Dr. Neuhauser has been a member of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees since 2001. He is the father of three grown children and grandfather of seven. He has completed the Boston Marathon seven times.

Lorraine Sterritt, Ph.D. 2018- 2023
Seventeenth President

Dr. Lorraine Sterritt served as 17th president of Saint Michael’s College from 2018-2023. Dr. Sterritt was the first woman to hold the position in the College’s history.

Born and raised in Ireland, Dr. Sterritt moved to the United States in 1985 after receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French at The Queen’s University of Belfast, Ireland. She received her second master’s and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Dr. Sterritt spent her entire career in education. After completing her degrees at Princeton University, where she also served as Assistant Master of Wilson College, she served as associate dean of freshmen at Harvard University before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as dean of freshmen and director of academic advising. She then served as an administrator with teaching roles at Stanford University, and as associate dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Humanities and Sciences. From there she moved to Harvard, where she was a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and dean for administration at Harvard College. Sterritt served as president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for four years before coming to Vermont to serve as Saint Michael’s College’s 17th president.

Staff

Linda Murphy
Executive Assistant to the President
802 654.2701
lmurphy3@smcvt.edu

Linda serves as the interface between the President and all internal and external constituencies at and beyond Saint Michael’s College. She provides high-level support across a broad range of administrative responsibilities. In previous roles, Linda has served as assistant to the President’s office to five presidents and two interim presidents. She most recently served as administrative assistant to the Mayor of Burlington. Linda holds an MA in Student Personnel Administration and an MBA. She loves hiking, walking, reading and the Buffalo Bills.