Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., took office as the 22nd president of St. Bonaventure on June 20, 2022.

Within a year, Dr. Gingerich immersed himself in the campus and alumni communities. He handed out donuts to students on the first day of class and passed out cookies at Christmastime to students studying for final exams. In between, he’s hosted breakfasts for faculty and staff from every division on campus to help renew the bonds temporarily broken during the pandemic.

Gingerich launched the public phase of the university’s comprehensive fundraising campaign in September 2022 and traveled across the nation — at dozens of donor events and gatherings in advance of Bonnies basketball games — to meet alumni devoted to advancing the cause of the university.

The university completed its seven-year campaign in May 2025, topping the $125 million goal by more than $6 million. By the end of his third year in office, the university had surpassed 3,000 in total enrollment for the first time in its history and launched a new strategic plan.

Recognizing the rapid advances in emerging technology, Gingerich formed a Presidential Commission on Artificial Intelligence in 2025 to address the educational opportunities and pitfalls presented by AI.

Jeff and his wife, Betsy, have embraced the spirit of community, the overarching umbrella of our university’s values of compassion, wisdom and integrity. They’ve hosted numerous gatherings at their Olean home, from student government leaders and friars to members of our national Alumni Council.

Prior to being named president of St. Bonaventure, Gingerich was provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs for four years each at the University of Scranton and at Cabrini University in suburban Philadelphia, where he taught in the Department of Sociology and Criminology for 13 years.

He also served as acting president at Scranton and Cabrini, both Catholic institutions.

Gingerich advanced new initiatives and programs at Scranton related to faculty hiring and development, staff and administrator training, curricular improvements, and student support and engagement.

Gingerich was responsible for many cross-divisional institutional priorities at Scranton and Cabrini, including leading the development of strategic plans at both institutions.

An avid supporter of student-centered program growth, Dr. Gingerich worked with faculty at Scranton and Cabrini to develop successful new undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as the establishment of Cabrini’s Nerney Leadership Institute, Scranton’s Slattery Center for Humanities, and four mission-focused academic centers at Cabrini.

Gingerich earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Eastern Mennonite College.

Much of Gingerich’s work prior to entering higher education professionally was shaped by six years as a voluntary service worker in New Orleans, coordinating conflict resolution programming at the Twomey Center for Peace through Justice at Loyola University.

These experiences inspired his research and teaching interests in race and ethnic relations, cultural analysis, prisoner reentry, and incarceration reform.

A native of Parnell, Iowa, Gingerich and his wife, Betsy, are the parents of five children. Betsy has 30 years of experience in higher education, including many years at Alvernia University and Cabrini University.