R. Barbara Gitenstein was the president of

The College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

('70) and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from

UNC UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Education * University of North Carolina, a multi-campus public university system in the U.S. ** University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university ** PBS North Carolin ...

in 1975. Gitenstein was born in

Florala, Alabama Florala is a town in Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,923. Geography Florala is located along the Alabama–Florida state line at (31.007712, -86.324957). It is bordered by the town of Lockha ...

, a town of 2,000 where hers was one of the few

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

families . She attended Holton-Arms School, an all-woman's high school. On July 11, 2017, Gitenstein announced she would retire at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year. She started her career in education at the

University of Central Missouri The University of Central Missouri (UCM) is a public university in Warrensburg, Missouri, United States. In 2024, enrollment was 13,734 students from 48 states and 52 countries on its 1,561-acre campus. UCM offers 150 programs of study, incl ...

where she served as an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in the English department. Gitenstein then moved to

SUNY Oswego State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public university in Oswego, New York. It has a total student population of 6,756 and the campus size is 700 acres. SUNY Oswego offers more than 120 undergraduate, graduate ...

where she was subsequently named chair of the English department, and later appointed assistant

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

. In 1992, Gitenstein moved to

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, where she served as executive vice president and then provost. She then moved to

TCNJ The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, ...

in 1999 as the first woman president. Gitenstein announced on January 1, 2018, that she would retire from The College of New Jersey effective June 30, 2018. She was replaced by Kathryn Foster of the University of Maine-Farmington. Gitenstein has served on several corporate boards and committees, including the New Jersey Resources Corporation, the Mercer County

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Advisory Committee, the Greater Mercer County and the

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Chambers of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to adv ...

, and co-chairman for the Guardian Angels dinner-dance hosted by

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

, board member of The

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 965-bed hospital with campuses in New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Brunswick (Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick), and Somerville, New Jersey, Somerville, New Jersey (Rober ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. Gitenstein has published several articles on

and

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literature, authored the book "Apocalyptic Messianism and Contemporary Jewish-American Poetry."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gitenstein, R. Barbara American academic administrators 20th-century American Jews People from Florala, Alabama Presidents of The College of New Jersey Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Women heads of universities and colleges