Dr. Dennis J. Murray was appointed President and Professor of Public Policy at Marist College in 1979. During his tenure as President, he has guided the College through an exceptional period of growth. Enrollments have doubled, many new academic programs have been established and the academic profile of the entering freshmen has risen significantly. More than $150 million has been invested in the campus, including new academic buildings, new student residences, a new Student Center, an expanded recreation center and a state-of-the-art digital library.
Dr. Murray has also forged numerous community and corporate relationships that have greatly benefited the College. Early in his tenure at Marist, he recognized the important role that information technology would play in enhancing the teaching and learning process. Thanks to a long-time partnership with the IBM Corporation, Marist has become one of the nation's most technologically advanced liberal arts colleges. Today, this sophisticated computing environment is helping Marist students gain the knowledge and skills they will need to be competitive in the 21st century.
Marist is increasingly recognized as a national leader in higher education. In 2006 The Princeton Review and Forbes named Marist one of the 25 "Most Connected Campuses" in America, alongside Cornell, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania. The College was also selected by the John Templeton Foundation as one of the nation's leading colleges to encourage character development. Marist is listed in The Princeton Review's The Best 361 Colleges in the country and U.S. News & World Report ranked Marist in the top tier of colleges and universities in the northeast. In addition, the College's AACSB-accredited School of Management was ranked among The Best 237 Business Schools by The Princeton Review.
A nationally recognized educator and administrator, Dr. Murray served as an advisor to the NBC television network and hosted a nationally broadcast series on higher education. He has served on the American Council on Education's Commission on International Education and Commission on Leadership Development. He also was a member of the board of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. He served four years as an alumni representative to the board of trustees of the California State University and Colleges.
Dr. Murray is the editor of three books in the field of government and public affairs and is the author of two books on non-profit management, How to Evaluate your Fund-Raising Program and The Guaranteed Fund-Raising System, which have been used in more than 3,500 organizations throughout the United States and Canada.
An active member of the civic community, Dr. Murray currently serves on the boards of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley, which oversees the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. Dr. Murray also was on the Vassar Brothers Hospital board for more than 18 years, and served as chairman of its foundation board. He previously was a member of the boards of the Bank of New York's Regional Board, United Way and American Heart Association.
Dr. Murray's significant contributions to the fields of education and community service have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Franciscan Award from the Sisters of St. Francis and the Americanism Award from the Anti-Defamation League. In 1996, he received the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal at a ceremony which also honored Queen Noor of Jordan, Lea Rabin of Israel and former Marist Trustee Frances Reese, the founder of the environmental movement in America.
A native Californian, Dr. Murray received a bachelor's degree in political science from California State University, Long Beach and his master's degree and Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Southern California. Prior to his appointment at Marist, Dr. Murray taught at the USC School of International and Public Affairs, and served as Director of University Relations and Executive Assistant to the President at California State University, Long Beach and as Vice President for Development at Whittier College.
Dr. Murray and his wife, Marilyn, have two children, Marian and Michael.
