University of Detroit Mercy Names Archon Garibaldi President

University of Detroit Mercy Board of Trustees has named Archon Antoine M. Garibaldi of Epsilon Boulé, Washington, D.C., as the university’s new president. The announcement was made by UDM Board of Trustees Chair John D. Lewis. Archon Garibaldi, who is currently president of Gannon University in Erie, Pa., will assume the position July 1, 2011, to become UDM’s first lay president.

“We are very pleased to have President Garibaldi join the University of Detroit Mercy community,” said Lewis. “Given his tenure as a Catholic university president, he brings strong leadership skills and extensive experience that will enable UDM to continue its mission of providing a quality academic experience within a Catholic and urban context.”

Recognized as a national scholar in higher education, Archon Garibaldi’s career spans more than 35 years as a tenured professor, accomplished researcher and educational administrator. He has served as Gannon University’s president since 2001. During that time, the university’s enrollment has increased by 24 percent from 3,401 to 4,238 students, the highest in 17 years, and its endowment has more than doubled. In 2008 he successfully completed the largest comprehensive fund-raising campaign in Gannon’s history, raising more than $31.5 million in private gifts and $8 million in foundation and government grants. Other major accomplishments during his nearly ten-year tenure include citations in U.S. News & World Report of Gannon's ranking among top-tier universities for seven straight years, Best Value (or Great School, Great Price) rankings for five years, and a Top Up-and-Coming recognition; establishment of the Erie Technology Incubator; and acquisition of, and major renovations to, more than a dozen administrative, academic and student housing buildings.

“I am honored to be selected as the first lay president of the University of Detroit Mercy,” Archon Garibaldi said. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students and trustees to continue to advance the academic excellence and student-centered emphases that are reflected in the UDM mission.”