Saint Elizabeth University has finalized an unusual contract extension that will keep its first Black — and first male — president on campus into the next decade.
Gary B. Crosby became Saint Elizabeth’s eighth president in July 2021, taking the helm of a Catholic institution founded in 1899. The school was New Jersey’s last all-female college before it went co-ed in 2016.
Crosby’s initial five-year contract, set to expire in 2026, has been extended another five years through June 2031, the university announced Wednesday.
“Since his arrival, Dr. Crosby has proven to be a visionary and highly effective leader who is taking Saint Elizabeth University to the next levels of excellence in quality, student success, and sound financial management,” said Michael J. McGovern, who chairs the university’s board of trustees.
As a private college, Saint Elizabeth University is not required to release the salary of its leaders. But, Crosby earned $181,613 in base salary and benefits for the partial year he worked when he was hired in 2021, according to the university’s latest available tax forms.
Saint Elizabeth credited Crosby with several accomplishments, including increasing the retention rate for first-year students who had not attended any other colleges from 69% to 80% and launching a five-year strategic plan.
Applications to attend Saint Elizabeth are up 24% since Crosby’s first months on the job, the university said. State and federal grants have increased by $6 million since he arrived, including $3 million in support of Hispanic and low-income students.
“I am honored and grateful for the Board’s confidence in my leadership to continue to serve as president of Saint Elizabeth University through 2031. Although we have accomplished a lot since my arrival, there is much more work ahead,” Crosby said.
Saint Elizabeth University, located in the Convent Station section of Morris Township, is next to an administration building used by the Sisters of Charity, the religious order that founded the school 125 years ago. For more than a century, only women were allowed to attend undergraduate classes and live in residence halls, with male students restricted to graduate programs and other learning.
Saint Elizabeth grappled with declining enrollment and faculty cuts prior to the decision to admit male undergraduate students starting in the fall of 2016. It switched from college to university status in July 2020 when campus officials said they wanted to emphasize offering master’s and doctoral programs in addition to undergraduate studies.
Crosby is a native of Mississippi. Prior to arriving at Saint Elizabeth, he was vice president for student affairs at Alabama A&M University.
He succeeded Helen J. Streubert, who was Saint Elizabeth’s first non-clergy president when she was appointed in 2013.
Stories by Rob Jennings
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.