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They may be Muskies or Eagles, one-time Sabres or Wildcats. But they’ll always be Green Knights. Beth Borgen ’01 (right), one of three ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ alumni at the helm of a Wisconsin private college, will succeed David Black (left) as Lakeland University’s president this spring.

Soon Three Wisconsin Private Colleges Will Be Headed by Alumni of ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼

With the appointment this month of Beth Borgen ’01 as Lakeland University’s next president, three of Wisconsin’s 24 private colleges are now led by ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ grads.

Borgen takes up her office at Lakeland this spring; Brian Bruess ’90 has led his alma mater since 2017; and Andrew Manion ’87 began his tenure as president of Edgewood College in June after four years at the helm of Marian College. Each of them learned their leadership lessons as Green Knights, though they may now cheer for the Muskies (Lakeland) or Eagles (Marian) and even have a little Sabre or Wildcat left in them from stints in earlier positions at or near the helm of other instiutions.

The first
Borgen will be Lakeland’s 18th president – and the first woman to hold the position – in the university’s 158-year history. She’s held a variety of roles at Lakeland since joining the staff in 2005. She was named vice president of advancement at Lakeland in 2015 and executive vice president in 2018.  She was selected by Lakeland’s board of trustees to lead the following a national search.

“Change is constant, especially at a place like Lakeland,” Borgen said in a press release. “We are well positioned for the future thanks to our innovation, creative problem solving and collaboration, and I am prepared to make sure those strategies will continue to be part of our story.”

(St. Norbert can claim responsibility not just for Borgen's undergraduate education but for her first job in higher-ed; she served as event manager at ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼, 2001-05.)

The second
Bruess is only the second ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ graduate to hold the position of president of his alma mater. The first, the Rev. Dennis Burke, O.Praem., ’26, led the college from 1955 to 1968. Burke was the second-ever president of St. Norbert, following the Rt. Rev. Bernard Pennings, the college’s founder.

Bruess is St. Norbert’s eighth president. Previously, he served in a variety of leadership roles during his 21-year tenure at St. Catherine University, including serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The legacy
College presidencies run in Manion’s family: his dad, President Emeritus Thomas Manion, led ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ from 1983 to 2000.

Andrew Manion, Edgewood’s ninth president, has held a variety of academic and administrative positions throughout his career. He served on the faculty of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota; as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences as well as provost and executive vice president at Aurora University; and as president of Marian University.

“Dr. Manion will serve this community, our students and all who love Edgewood College with energy, passion, expertise and heart,” former Edgwood president Mary Ellen Gevelinger said in a press release. “His career thus far – both in and out of the classroom – exemplifies a life of study, reflection and action. His is a mission-driven career, and we are excited for his leadership moving us into a very bright future.”

Oct. 29, 2020