The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth has a new president. Dr. Brenda Kelly began work this week as the 14th president of the college, which was founded by Benedictine Sisters in 1912.
Kelly takes over the top position at the private college at a difficult time. While enrollment is strong, the school is reportedly facing a $5.6 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027 and recently laid off several faculty members.
For the past eight years, Kelly was Provost and Dean of the College at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. Before transitioning to administration, she taught and conducted research in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry for more than a decade at Gustavus.
She was welcomed to the St. Scholastica campus by staff, faculty and students Wednesday, greeted by a trombonist playing “When the Saints Come Marching In,” a nod to the Catholic college’s Saints nickname.
"Our mission, our values, and the way in which we live them out, is what drew me here, even amidst the headwinds and challenges facing higher education today, because at St. Scholastica we are prepared to take on those challenges,” Kelly said during a press conference before the event.
“Our commitment to hospitality, to welcoming every person, is precisely what this polarized and divided world needs right now,” Kelly added.
About 3,000 graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled at St. Scholastica’s three academic locations, including at its main campus, which is perched on a hill in Duluth near the University of Minnesota Duluth, and at a health sciences center in Duluth, and at another facility in St. Cloud. The school also offers online courses.
Kelly said St. Scholastica seeks to bridge the gap between a “rigorous liberal arts tradition and the vital practical needs of our workforce.” She called enrollment strong, especially in the college's graduate health professional programs.
"Our PT [physical therapy] program, our OT [occupational therapy] program, the PA [physician assistant] programs, we have really large applicant pools and a much smaller number of students that can enter those programs,” Kelly said.
The popularity of such programs appears to be reflected in St. Scholastica’s enrollment figures, which is up from about 2,200 students a decade ago.
Still, the school is facing budget challenges. According to a report in the Duluth News Tribune earlier this year, the school is confronting a budget deficit of more than $5 million, and has laid off several faculty members.
Kelly declined to talk in more detail about the school’s budget issues.
She succeeds Dr. Barbara McDonald, who's retiring after serving as president of the college since 2019.
