I was offline most of today. I attended the formal installation of the eighth president of St. Joseph College, located in Brooklyn and Patchogue, New York. The College was founded 101 years ago by the Sisters of St. Joseph. I was there because my spouse is a graduate of the College and a member of the Board of Trustees. Over the years, I have come to know many other alums and many of the Sisters, including Sister Elizabeth Hill, who was President of the College for many years. She is a tiny woman with a huge brain and great wit, who was trained as a lawyer and has devoted her life to SJC.
The new president is a rare find. Dr. Donald Boomgaarden is a distinguished musicologist and a concert pianist, with many years of experience as an administrator in Catholic colleges. He was educated by the Jesuits. He embodies a genuine love of the arts, love of learning, a devotion to social justice, and a deep commitment to SJC’s historic tradition of integrity, intellectual and social values, and service to others.
Don Boomgaarden comes to SJC from the University of Scranton, and before that was dean of the college of music and fine arts at Loyola University in New Orleans. He received his BA from Texas State University and his MA and PhD from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. He spent a decade at the University of Salzburg in Austria, studying and performing in the shadow of the world’s greatest classical composers.
He is a performing artist, both as a pianist and a country fiddler. In addition, he is a historian of opera, music aesthetics, and harmonic theory.
What a pleasure to meet a college president who is passionate about liberal education and is a professional musician. In addition, he rides a motorcycle and is a certified yoga instructor!
Everyone is excited about the new president. His energy and enthusiasm for his new assignment are contagious.
SJC has a well-established history of preparing excellent teachers and administrators for the public schools of New York City and Long Island. It is a not-so-hidden gem among the excellent liberal arts colleges of the Northeast.
We are already planning to attend President Boomgaarden’s first concert on the Brooklyn campus, on May 1, when he will perform an all-Chopin program. Can’t wait until he has his first country fiddling concert.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Unbelievable find, a veritable Renaiisance Man. SJC hit a home run.
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I agree! SJC is a real treasure. They prepare young people very well for the education profession.
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Your spouse? Congratulations!
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I am a graduate of St. Joseph’s, as was my mother. I have spent the last thirty years teaching in an urban public school in New Jersey. I believe my education at St. Joseph’s gave me the background and skills necessary to succeed in a challenging profession. It also instilled in me a great love and respect for the job I do each day. Good luck to Dr.Boomgaarden.
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Having worked for 24 years in education at a small, Catholic liberal arts college in NJ, The College of Saint Elizabeth, I congratulate SJC for recruiting a leader with a strong background in arts/humanities. The smaller Catholic colleges have deep roots in education and have provided schools with capable, caring teachers. CSE was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1899 and was the first college in NJ to grant degrees to women. Three of the first four graduates became teachers.
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I so agree with you, Diane, about how wonderful St. Joseph’s is. It is a total pleasure to interface with everyone there.
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