Dear Carroll Community,
Last week’s presidential announcement ceremony was a meaningful moment for me, and I was grateful to share my reflections with the Carroll community as I prepare to serve in this new role. For those who could not attend, I’ve shared my full remarks below. Thank you for your continued support as we look ahead to Carroll’s next chapter together.
To the Trustees, faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Carroll College, and to members of the Helena community — thank you so much. I am deeply honored, and profoundly humbled, to be named the 20th President of Carroll College.
I want to especially thank Dr. Joyce Stewart and Tom Whyte who have led the search process for over a year; your deep investment in Carroll College is a gift. I thank the search committee and the stakeholder groups who have put an immense amount of time and effort into this process as well. Thank you, Bishop Vetter, for partnering with me this year to lead the institution. I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead with you, learn from you, and to grow in relationship with you and the diocese of Helena. Most essentially, thank you to my husband Ed and my children Augustine and Inessa for your support, patience, and care. None of this would be possible without you.
For nearly 23 years, Carroll has been my professional home, and, in many ways, my personal home as well. I have taught students in lectures, labs, and studies abroad, worked side by side with our faculty and staff, celebrated our successes, and faced our challenges. I have witnessed the transformations that happen here: quiet ones, bold ones, and the ones that stay with students for the rest of their lives. While today marks the beginning of a new chapter for the College, for me it is the deepening of a lifelong commitment.
Carroll is a remarkable institution. Carroll’s mission – forming students for lives of meaning, purpose, leadership, and service — has guided me throughout my career. We are here to accompany students through important times of their lives. We help them discover what they’re capable of, who they are, and how they can contribute to a world that needs them. That is sacred work. And it is work I take to heart.
The strength of Carroll College lies in the way we bring our mission to life every day. Faculty teach and research with passion and integrity; staff create a community of care and belonging; students inspire with their curiosity, resilience, and hope; alumni carry Carroll forward in lives of leadership and service.
At the heart of all of this work is the way we show up for one another. We care. We notice. We support. We assume the best in each other. And we do all of it grounded in our Catholic identity: in the dignity of every person, in the call to serve, in the pursuit of truth, and in the commitment to the common good.
In fulfilling my role as President, I want to say clearly: I hold the trust you have placed in me with great seriousness. I know what this institution means to so many. I know the sacrifices made across decades to build and sustain it. And I know, intimately, the dedication it takes, from all of us, to continue that work.
My leadership will honor our past, but it will not be confined by it. We have a proud history, and it deserves to be celebrated. But we also have an obligation to today’s students and tomorrow’s to be forward-focused, bold, and clear about our direction. We will work collaboratively to make decisions grounded in mission, values, and purpose, building on what is already strong while pursuing growth and opportunity.
To our students: you remain at the center of everything we do. You are the reason we are here. Your formation — academically, personally, spiritually — is, and will always be, what drives us. We will continue to prepare you for lives of meaning, service, and ethical leadership, and for your chosen careers.
To our faculty and staff: I know how much of yourselves you pour into your work. Please know that my presidency will be rooted in partnership with you. I will need your expertise and your wisdom to guide this college forward. Let us work together with a shared direction.
To our alumni and supporters: I am grateful for your enduring love for this place. You prove the truth of our motto: a Carroll education is not for school, but for life; it reaches into families, workplaces, and communities, and spans generations. Your pride and support strengthen us.
And to the Trustees: Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of the College. Thank you for your confidence in me. I will work every day to be worthy of it.
We have much opportunity ahead of us. We have challenges as well. But I believe, without hesitation, that we have everything we need to flourish. We have a mission written to meet any moment. We have people who care deeply. We have a Catholic faith that sustains us. We have an abiding belief in Carroll’s liberal arts education, pursuing both vocation and enlightenment.
As I step into this role, my promise is simple: I will lead with integrity, with transparency, with courage, and with heart. I will listen and I will learn. And I will work diligently to ensure that Carroll College continues to thrive for its next 116 years. I am honored and humbled to serve as your next president and to write the next chapter of Carroll’s story with you.
Thank you!
With gratitude and appreciation,
Jennifer Glowienka, Ph.D.
Interim Co-President & President-elect, Carroll College