Sister Janet Eisner, SND, President of Emmanuel College

Sister Janet Eisner, SND is President of Emmanuel College in Boston, having served in this position since 1979. She is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and holds an AB degree from Emmanuel College, an MA degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Prior to her appointment as President, Sister Janet served at Emmanuel College as a faculty member, chair of the English department and as director of Admissions.

Under Sister Janet Eisner's leadership for over three decades, Emmanuel College has experienced a time of exceptional innovation, achievement and growth. Sister Janet provided the founding vision for the Colleges of the Fenway collaboration; she brought Merck Research Laboratories to Emmanuel's campus; and in 2000 she led the transition from an all-women's college to a leading coeducational college. Over the past ten years, applications to the College have increased eleven-fold and enrollment has tripled. Most recently, she has guided the development of today's campus with the building of the Jean Yawkey Student Center and the Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center. Emmanuel today is providing an outstanding liberal arts and sciences education to record numbers of talented and diverse students.

In addition to her responsibilities at Emmanuel College, President Eisner currently serves on the Executive Committee of MASCO (the Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc.), the Colleges of the Fenway, the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and St. Sebastian's School in Needham, MA, and the Board of Overseers at Mother Caroline Academy in Dorchester, MA. She also serves on committees for the Archdiocese of Boston's Catholic schools initiatives. She has recently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the College of the Holy Cross and earlier on the Board of Trinity University, Washington, D.C.

Throughout her career, Sister Janet has served on several state boards and national commissions including: American Council on Education, the Association of Governing Boards, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts.

Boston College and Northeastern University have recognized Sister Janet's accomplishments with honorary degrees and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce has honored her with a Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Arts and Education. In 2011, Sr. Janet received two awards for her longstanding commitment to education - the Cardinal Cushing Award from the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle and the Seeds Planted: Harvest Begun Award from the Notre Dame Montessori School in Dorchester.

Office of the President
400 The Fenway
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
617-735-9825
pres@emmanuel.edu