On Friday, March 13, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) will honor Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B. – former president of Saint Anselm College – with the New Hampshire State Merit Award.

The ceremony will take place at the 13th annual New England Higher Education Excellence Award ceremony at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. Among the 400 guests at this event will be leaders in education, business, and government from all across New England.

Father Jonathan was the longest serving college president in New Hampshire, retiring at the end of the 2013 academic year. He served for 24 years as college president, during which welcomed incoming freshman and their families every August.

In total he has handed out more than 19,000 certificates to Saint Anselm alumni.

He has always been a strong advocate for leadership, and accomplishing the addition of new residence halls and academic spaces, as well as new athletic teams.

He was the founding chair of Campus Compact New Hampshire. Under his leadership, both the Meelia Center for Community Service and the New Hampshire Institute of Politics were founded.

Father Jonathan has plenty of leadership experience. He has served on the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, as a division chair for United Way, and a member of the New England Council.

He was also a founding member of the Board of Governors of the New Hampshire Forum on Higher Education.

Father Jonathan grew up in Rhode Island, and entered the Saint Anselm Abbey in 1968. He graduated from Saint Anselm College, majoring in philosophy.

He professed vows as a Benedictine monk in 1973. A year later he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest after studying theology at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA.

The New England Board of Higher Education has promoted greater educational opportunities for New England residents since 1955. They are strong advocates for programs in cost effectiveness in colleges and success. They also work towards bettering the New England economy.

Each year, the New England Board of Higher Education presents awards to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated superior leadership in the fields of higher education.

State Merit Awards are awarded to honor the work of institutions and individuals in every New England state.

This year’s NEBHE regional award recipients are James T. Brett, President and CEO, Timothy J. Donovan, Chancellor, Rhode Island Kids Count, Patricia Collins, Trustee, University of Maine System, and Dyn.

The NEBHE 2015 state merits award recipients include Booker T. DeVaughn, President Emeritus, Three Rivers Community College, University of New England, Carole A. Cowan, President, Middlesex Community College, Susan F. Lusi, Superintendent, Providence Public Schools, and Mark Young, Trustee, University of Vermont.