Manhattan College Trustee
President Emeritus, Professor of Religion, La Salle University
Brother Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C., Ph.D., is President Emeritus and professor of religion at La Salle University. Br. Michael served for 15 years as La Salle’s 28th President before stepping down at the end of his third term in 2014. Under his direction, the University developed a new strategic plan that increased enrollment, giving, and alumni involvement in the life of the University. During his tenure, the school built a new residence hall and dining facility, expanded the Bucks County Center in 2006, and opened the Montgomery County Center in 2007. Br. Michael launched Shoulder to Shoulder: Securing the Future, a fundraising initiative to construct a new science and technology center and to strengthen scholarship endowment. The expanded campus eventually included The Shoppes at La Salle and the renovated and expanded Holroyd Hall, featuring the Hugh and Nancy Devlin Center for Science and Technology. Recently, he worked to finalize plans for the construction of a new School of Business. Br. Michael joined La Salle’s faculty in 1984 and became full professor in 1993. He was selected to attend a program of study of Lasallian spirituality in Rome in 1991 and became Chair of La Salle’s Religion Department in that year. The following year, he received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 1992, he was appointed Vice President of the La Salle University Corporation; two years later, he became President of Christian Brothers University in Memphis.
Br. Michael was a member of La Salle’s Board of Trustees until 2014. He became a trustee of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2014 and has been a member of the Manhattan College Board since 2004. He is also currently on the boards of the American University of Rome, La Salle College High School (Philadelphia). He is a member of the District Council for the Christian Brothers of Eastern North America and belongs to a number of other professional organizations. A native Philadelphian, Br. Michael joined the De La Salle Christian Brothers in 1965 and graduated maxima cum laude from La Salle in 1970 with a degree in English. He obtained his master’s degree and Ph.D. in theology from the University of Notre Dame.