Dr. William J. Bisset has 34 years of experience in Catholic higher education administration, including key leadership roles at Marymount and Manhattan College.

Under his leadership, Manhattan College and Marymount University experienced record growth in their undergraduate and graduate applicant pools while remaining faithful to their mission-centric commitments of serving diverse students and families of modest financial means.

His innovative initiatives helped make Manhattan one of the most ethnically diverse Catholic colleges in the United States and Marymount the only federally designated Hispanic-serving institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“My tenures at Marymount and Manhattan have afforded me opportunities to gain the experience needed to address challenges that Lourdes and other mission-based, tuition-dependent institutions will face in the coming years,” says Dr. Bisset, whose roles have also included positions at Assumption and Saint Anselm Colleges.

“My diverse professional experiences and personal qualities closely match those needed to lead Lourdes University during these challenging times in American higher education. I appreciate the value of working closely with a University’s deans and faculty to successfully grow graduate and continuing education programs and have done so both at Manhattan College and Marymount University. As Lourdes University’s next president, I will bring a unique depth of administrative experience in higher education; a collaborative, energetic leadership style; and an unwavering commitment to integrity and excellence.”

In addition to a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University, Dr. Bisset received a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration, Policy, and Planning from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Saint Anselm College.

Dr. Bisset is married to Kathleen Bisset. The couple have two adult sons, Brendan, an alumnus of Manhattan College (2018) and Belmont University (2021) who is currently an Associate Director of Athletics at Dartmouth College and Charlie, an alumnus of the University of Miami (2021) and the Elliot School of International Affairs at The George Washington University (2023).

This event is by invitation only.