Alfred University’s AUNY program will hold its commencement ceremonies at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, at the Queensborough Performing Arts Center in Queens, NY.
Joseph R. Marbach
Graduates from the AUNY program have earned master’s degrees in School and Mental Health Counseling and Public Administration or completed Advanced Certification programs in Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling at Alfred University’s satellite campuses in New York City.
Joseph R. Marbach, retired president of Georgian Court University, will be the keynote speaker for the AUNY commencement. Marbach served as ninth president of Georgian Court, a private Catholic university in Lakewood, NJ, from July 1, 2025—when he was appointed the university’s first-ever male and first-ever lay president—until his retirement on Feb. 6, 2025.
Marbach brought extensive academic leadership experience to Georgian Court, having previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at La Salle University beginning in 2010, where he established several key programs and expanded the university’s online and international presence. Before that, he was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Seton Hall University, where he also served as a professor and former chair of the Department of Political Science, co-founded the Center for Community Research and Engagement, and was a frequent media contributor on political topics.
Under his leadership, Marbach was responsible for directing the university’s strategic vision and growth, earning recognition as No. 10 on the 2022 NJBIZ Education Power 50 list and being identified as one of the top 25 influencers in higher education by ROI-NJ in both 2021 and 2022.
A distinguished scholar in political science, Marbach graduated magna cum laude from La Salle University in 1983 and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Temple University in 1986 and 1993, respectively. His areas of expertise include federalism and intergovernmental relations, state and local government, and New Jersey politics, and he has served in leadership roles with the New Jersey Presidents Council, the Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, and the American Political Science Association. He is editor-in-chief of Federalism in America: An Encyclopedia, has contributed to numerous scholarly publications, and is frequently sought as an award-winning radio analyst and expert on state and local government.
