Historic Inauguration of President Jennifer Glowienka

Carroll College officially welcomed Dr. Jennifer Glowienka as its 20th president during her inauguration on Sept. 15, bringing together students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and community members to celebrate a new chapter for the college.

Glowienka, who began her presidency July 1, is the first woman to serve as Carroll’s fully appointed president. After 23 years at Carroll as a professor and administrator, Glowienka said the college’s history and mission will remain at the center of her leadership.

The inauguration was built around the theme “Rooted in Mission. Cultivating the Future,” a theme that also connects to Glowienka’s background as a biologist who studied evolution.

“I spent much of my career studying how life changes over time,” Glowienka said during her inaugural address. “And that work taught me two lessons that continue to shape how I think about leadership and institutions.”

According to Glowienka, the first lesson is that important sources of growth are often unseen, much like the roots of a healthy tree. The second is that lasting success depends on the ability to adapt.

For Glowienka, those ideas apply to Carroll as it looks toward the future.

“Carroll’s roots are strong,” she said. “From the beginning, the mission of this place has been clear and has fundamentally stood the test of time.”

The ceremony began with a prayer before Carroll Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Joyce Stewart welcomed the crowd. Stewart said the inauguration was intentionally designed to show the community the qualities Glowienka brings to her new role.

Rather than simply explaining why the board selected Glowienka, Stewart said the ceremony would allow attendees to experience those qualities through the people, traditions and symbols included throughout the event.

Student involvement was also a major part of the ceremony. Recent graduates Marrin Chapman and Jack Conway, both former Associated Students of Carroll College presidents who participated in the presidential search, served as masters of ceremony.

Stewart said choosing students to help lead the ceremony represented Glowienka’s belief that students should have a voice in shaping Carroll’s future.

That focus on students continued throughout the event.

Dr. Kellie O’Rourke, a former student and mentee of Glowienka, spoke about Glowienka’s influence on her academic and professional career. O’Rourke said Glowienka encouraged her as an undergraduate and continued to mentor her after graduation.

“She has an incredible ability to truly listen, recognize potential, and inspire people to achieve more than they ever imagined,” O’Rourke said.

Other speakers highlighted different parts of Glowienka’s career and leadership style.

Dr. Grant Hokit, a colleague and mentor, spoke about Glowienka’s ability to collaborate across departments. Dr. Catherine Greiner, associate professor of theology, focused on Glowienka’s humility and commitment to Carroll’s mission.

Butch Biskupiak, who worked at Carroll for 48 years, represented the college’s staff. He recalled Glowienka’s transition from professor to academic administrator and said her experience working across campus will help her as president.

Alumni representative Dannette Sullivan also pointed to Glowienka’s ability to build relationships. Sullivan served on the group that interviewed presidential candidates and said Glowienka stood out because of the trust she had built across the Carroll community.

“She is genuine. She is thoughtful. She is a strong communicator. She knows us, and we trust her,” Sullivan recalled members of the group saying.

The student perspective came from Maria Ackerman, the 2026-27 ASCC executive president. Ackerman described Glowienka as approachable and student-centered.

“She is student-centered and continues to give each one of us a voice,” Ackerman said.

The ceremony also included a tribal welcome from Don Wetzel Jr., a member of the Blackfeet Nation and a member of Carroll’s Board of Trustees, as well as greetings from Helena Mayor Emily Dean, a 2014 Carroll graduate.

Dean described Carroll as more than a college, emphasizing the relationships and community that students carry with them after graduation.

“She doesn’t just know Carroll; she is Carroll,” Dean said of Glowienka.

Dr. Donna Carroll, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, delivered the keynote address. Carroll, who mentored Glowienka and her husband during the presidential search process, spoke about the responsibility that comes with leading a Catholic college.

“The presidency is not a job. It’s a lifestyle,” Carroll said. “And speaking dramatically, it’s a sacred trust.”

Carroll also encouraged the Carroll community to support Glowienka as she takes on the role.

“Take good care of your president,” Carroll said. “Love her as I know that she loves you. Challenge her, forgive her, and altogether encourage her sense of purpose.”

The formal inauguration followed the reflections from Carroll community members.

Glowienka was asked to pledge that she would uphold Carroll’s mission and values, serve students with integrity and compassion, support excellence in teaching and learning, and lead with wisdom, courage, fairness, and accountability.

After she responded, “I do,” Carroll’s Board of Trustees formally invested Glowienka with the authority and responsibilities of the presidency.

In her inaugural address, Glowienka reflected on her own history at Carroll and the ways the college shaped her during her 23 years on campus.

She arrived at Carroll after graduate school as a scientist and initially focused on teaching students biology and engaging them in research. Over time, she became more involved in Carroll’s mission and academic leadership.

Glowienka said her experiences with students have been some of the most meaningful parts of her career.

“I think primarily of accompaniment,” she said. “The joys of witnessing students in their aha moments, helping them find their gifts that align with their passions.”

As president, Glowienka said she wants Carroll to remain grounded in its Catholic liberal arts mission while also finding new ways to serve students.

She identified three values she hopes will guide her presidency: creativity, generosity of spirit and stewardship.

Glowienka said Carroll needs to be creative in meeting the needs of a new generation of students and finding new ways to deliver programs. At the same time, she said innovation should remain connected to Carroll’s mission.

She also emphasized the importance of assuming goodwill among members of the Carroll community.

“We are all working for the same goal,” Glowienka said. “The formation of our students, their growth, their vocation, and their capacity to live meaningful lives in service to others.”

Her final value, stewardship, focused on the responsibility the current Carroll community has to future generations.

“We are stewards of something that we did not create, and of something that will not belong to us forever,” Glowienka said.

For Glowienka, cultivating Carroll’s future does not mean leaving its history behind. Instead, she said the college can adapt while maintaining the parts of its identity that have defined it for more than a century.

“We adapt without abandoning what is essential,” Glowienka said. “We welcome new learners, new ideas and new possibilities while remaining grounded in the mission that has guided this institution for generations.”

As Glowienka begins her first academic year as president, she said she is ready to move forward with the Carroll community.

“We will move forward together in mission,” she said.