Former President: Sue Henderson 2012-2022

Photo of Hepburn Tower Lawn

Former President: Sue Henderson 2012-2022

Sue Henderson, Ph.D.

President, New Jersey City University 2012-2022

2022 Sue Henderson-2001-sml

Dr. Sue Henderson was 12th president of New Jersey City University from August 2012 to through June 2022. She was the first female president in the institution’s more than 90-year history, and accomplished a range of transformational initiatives to position NJCU as a game-changing force in a global landscape.

She established the NJCU School of Business and relocated it to a state-of-the-art facility in Jersey City's financial district along the Hudson Waterfront, while hiring its founding Dean and more than half of its faculty during her tenure. During this time, more than five new academic programs were developed as well as a new General Education program and an Honors Program.

Dr. Henderson spearheaded the implementation of a $400 million project to redevelop the institution's West Campus into a modern urban village that will include student and residential housing, retail, restaurants, green public spaces and a pedestrian-friendly layout to aesthetically and economically revitalize the region. A contemporary academic and performance space will serve as the new home to the internationally known Joffrey Ballet School.

Additionally, Dr. Henderson spurred the university’s efforts to become the educational partner in the revitalization of Fort Monmouth. Opening in August, 2021, NJCU @ Fort Monmouth expanded bachelor's and master's degree offerings along the Jersey Shore, making the university the only four-year public higher education program in the area.

Furthermore, Dr. Henderson ensured NJCU tuition and fees would remain among the lowest of all public, four-year colleges and universities in New Jersey, and implemented the NJCU Debt-Free Promise Program to make a college education accessible and affordable — a program lauded by the state when initiating the Garden State Guarantee.

Dr. Henderson was named to the NJBIZ Education Power 50 index in each of its first three rankings (2019, 2020 and 2021), including a No. 7 position in 2019 and No. 8 in 2021. In February 2022, Dr. Henderson was named to the ROI Influencers Power List for Higher Education for the fourth consecutive year, an honor she also received in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and in March, 2021, named to the 2021 ROI Influencers Women in Business Top 50 list.

Dr. Henderson is the past Vice-Chair of the influential NCAA Board of Governors and served as Chair of the NCAA Division III President’s Council in 2019-20 at the conclusion of a four-year term. In Summer 2021, she was named chair of the NCAA Board of Governors Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity, after previously serving on the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Dr. Henderson is the 2021-22 chair of the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and is a member of the executive board of HACU’s Commission on International Education as its secretary. She is the past chair of the One to World Board of Directors. She serves on the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as the statewide chair of the Campus Compact Board. In December 2021, she was elected to the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Dr. Henderson is a member of the Committee on International Education of The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). In addition, she is Chair of the Academic Issues Committee for the New Jersey Presidents’ Council, and serves on the Internationalization Commission of the American Council of Education. She is serving her second term as a Commissioner for The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) (2018-23). Additionally, Dr. Henderson serves on the board of NJTV and The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO).

Dr. Henderson holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Georgia, and bachelor’s and master's degrees in math education from Georgia State University. Dr. Henderson has received numerous awards for her work as an educator and administrator.

Updated: June 30, 2022