Jeffrey Senese on Friday was named president of Caldwell University. Senese will be the school’s 10th leader, succeeding Matthew Whelan. Whelan, who was inaugurated in 2021, is leaving when his contract ends June 30.
“Following a comprehensive national search, the Sisters of St. Dominic have unanimously approve the recommendation of the Caldwell University board of trustees to appoint Jeffrey D. Senese, Ph.D., as its 10th president,” the school announced.
Senese, who most recently served as president of Saint Leo University in Florida, will join the institution on July 10. In addition to having served as president of Saint Leo, he also served as a provost and vice president for academic affairs at several institutions, including Saint Leo, Cardinal Stritch University and Johnson & Wales University. Senese was also a faculty member at Indiana University and the University of Baltimore for more than a decade, has engaged in extensive funded national research and has been widely published.
“I am so very thrilled to be joining the wonderful Caldwell University community,” Senese said. “I am also looking forward to being a servant leader to the students, faculty, staff and alumni communities. I see amazing potential for the future of Caldwell University.”
“In Dr. Senese, Caldwell University has found an innovative, strategic and values-based leader,” Brian J. Aloia, chair of the university’s board of trustees, said. “His accomplishments demonstrate that he works collaboratively and successfully with multiple groups of stakeholders, and his passion for Caldwell’s mission, heritage and story was apparent from our first interaction. Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the community will benefit greatly from Dr. Senese’s presence, poise and experience.”
