MaryAnn Baenninger is a

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

professor and the former president of

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

, a Methodist-affiliated

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming one ...

Life

Baenninger received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(B.A.) and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(Ph.D.) in Psychology from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. After serving as a psychology professor on the faculty of

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

(formerly

Trenton State College The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

) in

Ewing, New Jersey Ewing Township is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township falls within the New York metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. It borders the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is part of the Fed ...

, and as an executive associate director with the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

in Philadelphia, Baenninger was appointed as president of the

College of Saint Benedict The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are two closely related private, Catholic higher education institutions in Minnesota. The College of Saint Benedict is a women's college located in St. Joseph, while Saint John's Univ ...

in Saint Joseph, Minnesota in 2004. During her tenure at the private Roman Catholic college for women, Baenninger was "credited with building out the school’s study abroad programs, attracting international students and supporting undergraduate research. She also won praise for diversifying the student body and more than doubling the school’s endowment." In February 2014, Drew University's Board of Trustees chose Baenninger as Drew's 13th president and first full-term female president. She succeeded Vivian A. Bull, president emerita of

Linfield University Linfield University is a private university with campuses in McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. Linfield Wildcats athletics participates in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Linfield reported a combined 1,755 students after the fall ...

, who as president for the interim had replaced

Robert Weisbuch Robert Weisbuch is an American academic administrator and professor. He served as the eleventh President of Drew University from 2005 to 2012. Biography Weisbuch received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from Yale University. He spent ...

after he stepped down as the university's 11th president in June 2012. The Drew Board of Trustees formally recognized Bull as the university's 12th president prior to her retirement in July 2014. On May 18, 2020 the Drew Board of Trustees announced that by mutual decision Baenninger would step down as Drew president on July 31, 2020. On July 14, 2020 the Drew Board of Trustees announced that Thomas J. Schwarz, president emeritus of

SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges ...

, would succeed Baenninger on August 1, 2020 as interim president. Baenninger serves as a commissioner on the

(MSCHE) and is the past chair and a member of the executive committee of the

Council of Independent Colleges The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association in the United States of more than 650 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and more than 100 higher education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen ...

(CIC). Baenninger was married to the late Ronald Baenninger, a former Temple University psychology professor.Ron Baenninger
"Confessions of a Male Presidential Spouse".
''

Inside Higher Ed ''Inside Higher Ed'' is a media company and online publication that provides news, opinion, resources, events and jobs focused on college and university topics. In 2022, Quad Partners, a private equity firm, sold Inside Higher Education to Time ...

'', 2/9/2009.

Published writings

* Baenninger, MaryAnn
"Institutional Strength from CAO/CFO Partnerships"
''University Business Magazine'', October 2009. * Baenninger, MaryAnn

''CSB/SJU'', 22 April 2005. * Baenninger, MaryAnn
"For Women on Campuses, Access Doesn't Equal Success"
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', 2 October 2011.

References

External links

Interview with MaryAnn Baenninger
Council of Independent Colleges {{DEFAULTSORT:Baenninger, Maryann American women psychologists Temple University alumni Presidents of Drew University College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University 1956 births Living people Women heads of universities and colleges 21st-century American psychologists