Sister Janet Eisner, SNDdeN

Sister Janet Eisner, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, is the nation's longest-serving woman college president currently in office. Since her inauguration in 1979, she has led Emmanuel through a time of exceptional innovation, achievement and growth. She provided the founding vision for the Colleges of the Fenway collaboration; she forged a partnership that brought Merck Research Laboratories to campus; and in 2000 she led Emmanuel's transition from an all-women's college to a thriving coeducational institution. Over the past 15 years, applications to Emmanuel have increased significantly, enrollment has tripled and the campus has been transformed by the building of the Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center, the Jean Yawkey Student Center and a new 18-story, apartment-style residence hall.

In addition to her responsibilities at Emmanuel College, Sister Janet currently serves on the Executive Committee of MASCO (the Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc.), and on the boards of the Colleges of the Fenway, The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and St. John's Seminary in Brighton, MA.

Boston College, Northeastern University and the College of the Holy Cross have recognized Sister Janet's accomplishments with honorary degrees, and several other organizations have honored her for her longstanding commitment to education.

She holds an A.B. degree from Emmanuel, an M.A. from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Before her appointment as President, she served at Emmanuel as a faculty member and as Director of Admissions.