Riverdale, NY – Brother Augustine Nicoletti, FSC, a member of the Manhattan College faculty since 2004, has been appointed to serve as president of the Ethiopian Catholic University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“Given the quality of his experiences, his intellectual and administrative abilities and his deep commitment to his vocation as a Brother of the Christian Schools, I am confident that Br. Augustine will lead and develop the Ethiopian Catholic University as it becomes a sign of Christian hope and a center of human and Christian tertiary education for the people of Africa,” said Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
Most recently an associate professor of education at Manhattan College, Br. Augustine served as associate dean at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota from 2001-04, where he also taught education courses. Prior to that, he was principal at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. (1999-2001) and associate principal for student affairs (1996-99) and director of guidance at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, N.J. from 1994-96.
From 1992-94, Br. Augustine served as campus minister and teacher at Seton-La Salle High School and director of counseling services at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. (1988-91). From 1984-88, he was involved in food sales and marketing in the Philadelphia area. Br. Augustine has also taught at many New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania high schools throughout his career. He was awarded the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award at Seton LaSalle High School in 1993 and a Top Educator Award from the University of Pittsburgh.
Br. Augustine’s role continues a partnership Manhattan College has established with the Ethiopian Catholic University. In 2016, Ghislaine Mayer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, Gwendolyn Tedeschi, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance, Kevin Gschwend, study abroad coordinator, and Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD, Vice President for Mission, visited Addis Ababa to explore study abroad and research initiatives, seeking to build collaborative relationships with the Ethiopian Catholic University, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), and a number of Lasallian ministries in Ethiopia.