Trinity University

 

Dennis A. Ahlburg, Ph.D., became the 18th president of Trinity University in January, 2010. He was chosen for the position by the University's Board of Trustees in September, 2009.

Dr. Ahlburg brings to Trinity an impressive background as an internationally respected authority on the im­pact of population growth on development and the economics of higher education.

"Trinity University is an outstanding institution and I look forward to working with the board, faculty, staff, students and alumni as we move Trinity to the front ranks of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges," said Dr. Ahlburg. "I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join the Trinity community and to work in and with one of America's most dynamic cities. San Antonio is a virtual laboratory for students who can learn much about where the country is going demographically, economically and geopolitically."

Before coming to Trinity, Dr. Ahlburg served as the dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder since August 2005. Under his leadership, the Leeds School significantly expanded and renovated the business school facilities, strengthened the undergraduate program, increased its resource base, and put into place a strategic plan to enhance the school's curriculum, diversity and outreach.

Prior to his appointment at the Leeds School, Dr. Ahlburg enjoyed a 25-year career as a professor of human resources and academic administrator at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, where he was senior associate dean, Land Grant Professor of Human Resources and the Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs.

Dr. Ahlburg brings to Trinity a distinguished record of research and teaching and an impressive career as a transformational academic administrator. The author of more than 100 academic articles and books and the recipient of more than 30 research grants, Dr. Ahlburg also has received many honors and awards including designation as an "expert of international standing" by the Australian Research Council in 2004 and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1975. He has consulted extensively with a variety of prominent organizations including the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the governments of Great Britain and Australia. His global research on a range of economic issues and his international perspective underscores the University's efforts to internationalize the Trinity experience.

A native of Australia, Dr. Ahlburg received his bachelor's in economics with first class honors from the Uni­versity of Sydney, a master's in economics from the Australian National University and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is married to Penelope Harley, an attorney specializing in alternative dispute resolution and restorative justice. They are parents to four-year-old Benjamin.