FORWARD TOGETHER IN EXCELLENCE A Bold Vision for Saint Elizabeth University Dr. Gary B. Crosby is well prepared to serve our students as the eighth president of Saint Elizabeth University because he shares many of the same struggles and successes. Raised by his grandmother in a single-family home, President Crosby was a selfproclaimed latchkey kid.
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he knew he wanted to go but had no idea how to get there.
“My grandmother worked from four in the afternoon to one in the morning,” says President Crosby. “She would be on the way to work when I got home from school. So, I was there by myself quite often in the fifth and sixth grades.”
As a first-generation college student, he struggled with the college application process. Like the 33% of our first-time freshmen who are first-generation college students, President Crosby did not have any guidance from his immediate family. While this made the college search more challenging, it also gave him invaluable insight into how our students may be struggling to not only apply but also complete college today.
This presented a challenge for President Crosby as he matriculated through the K-12 school system because he was more interested in playing the saxophone in the school’s marching band than focusing on his academics. When it came time to apply for college,
“When you have students from all walks of life and people instill doubt in them at an early age, it means a lot to me to be able to mentor these students,” says President Crosby. “I want to be someone they can look up to as a possibility for their future.”
