Andrés Acebo would easily be described as a change agent. He accomplished more in the past 20 months as interim president of New Jersey City University than most university presidents achieve in 20 years. Since his appointment in January 2023, he’s guided this four-year public university from a fiscal emergency to an unprecedented recovery, offering a clear success story for other institutions to follow.
Acebo’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. In May 2024, ROI-NJ, a media company that connects and informs NJ businesses, named him the No. 1 ranked influencer in New Jersey Higher Education in the 2024 Higher Education Influencers annual publication.
“I don’t bask in glory too much,” said the interim president, who’s more focused on advocating and championing the underserved in higher education than making a name for himself. “I ruminate on what’s left to do.”
As he spoke to us from his New Jersey office, Acebo proudly held a compass in his hands that his father had used to flee from Cuba to the United States. “When I think my life is hard, I think of how it pales in comparison to pushing a small craft into the ocean in the night with just a bit of food for a few days for a place 90 nautical miles north,” he said.
As the son of immigrants and the first generation in his family to complete college and ultimately obtain a law degree, Acebo takes little for granted. He recognizes the hard work and sacrifices that both his father and mother made for him. His father worked as a waiter and his mother as a caregiver growing up. And now, close to his hometown of Union City, New Jersey, he’s focused on giving back to that very diverse community that raised him.
“This institution touched me far before I set foot here because of its people and the people who walk on this campus,” said Acebo. “Students that are first-generation children of immigrants like I was are very common here. Our students are from families with some of the lowest socioeconomic status on any college campus. I have family and friends who are alums, as are most of the teachers I’ve had the privilege of learning from.”
At 38 years old, Acebo is the youngest known president of public universities in NJ and the second Hispanic to lead a public four-year university in the state. It seems only fitting for him to lead, given NJCU’s status as the oldest four-year minority and Hispanic-serving institution in New Jersey, with a current undergraduate population made up of 45 percent Latinos, 21 percent Blacks, 54 percent first-generation students, and those that come from a median household annual income of $42,000.
“I am animated by that,” said the interim president in response to his unique position as the youngest and second Hispanic leader in NJ. “This presents a unique opportunity for someone like me with a personal interest in the success and mission of this school.”
Prior to joining NJCU in February 2021, Acebo worked in his private law practice, counseling government entities, higher education institutions, public school districts, and closely held corporations. He obtained his law degree from Rutgers School of Law and was the first in his family to receive an undergraduate degree at Brown University.
“I was in a robust business and my legal career was blossoming,” said Acebo about his life before the Covid Pandemic. During that time, he unfortunately buried a lot of loved ones, and his youngest child was hospitalized at seven months old. “That shook me. It made me ask what I really wanted, whether I wanted to chase billable hours,” he added.
Acebo soon realized he wanted to make a difference at an institution like NJCU that had impacted so many people in his life.
Yet, when Acebo joined NJCU as Chief of Staff and Assistant Counsel, as a senior leader facilitating institutional planning, policy, and program development, he could not have known that within a few years, he would lead the university. On June 27, 2022, he was appointed Executive Vice President and University Counsel amidst the announcement of NJCU’s financial emergency due to a forecasted $22.7 million operating budget deficit. Then, shortly after the previous president resigned, he was asked to take on the interim presidency.
Since taking office, Acebo has helped orchestrate three major strategic initiatives: the NJCU Recovery and Revitalization Plan, the university’s first Academic Master Plan, and its first Strategic Enrollment Plan. Under his leadership, the university unveiled a refreshed University Mission Statement and its first Vision Statement, and finally stabilized university finances with the first balanced operating budget since 2017.
When asked what made all these changes possible, the interim president spoke about having to contain costs through unfortunate layoffs, cut their academic program by a third, create strategic plans, and engage stakeholders. “It has been a lot of work related to relationships and rehabilitating trust,” he said. “We modified our bylaws to give faculty, students, and other stakeholders a seat on the Board. We have had open dialogues. I was also intentional about emoting and engaging people as human beings because leadership requires that duty of care.”
Acebo credits his grit, determination, and hard work to his upbringing. “I’ve seen people start their lives all over again,” he said. “It’s hard to find someone who will outwork me. I hold myself to a high standard.”
He also added, “My parents taught me that it’s all about how you treat people. So, when I am greeted by housekeeping here, they’ll sometimes call me mijo.”
As someone who once struggled with coming from two worlds – of “thinking in English and feeling in Spanish” – Acebo is a perfect bridge for a diverse population of first-generation students at NJCU.
His example adds to the numerous support programs that already exist at the university. The university’s Men of Color Initiative aims to increase the retention, graduation, engagement, and overall success of students from underrepresented groups in higher education, particularly African, African American/Black, Caribbean, and Latino/Hispanic males. This occurs by addressing academic and social challenges through mentoring, peer connections, and educational and social engagement opportunities.
Other programs include the TRIO Learning Community (TLC) Program, the Pre-College/Gear Up College Bound Program, and the EOF program, the Opportunity Scholarship Program/Educational Opportunity Fund (OSP/EOF). The federally funded TLC Program is designed to provide support services to low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities, while the federally funded Pre-College/Gear Up College Bound Program offers academic support and college preparation activities to middle school and high school students, the majority of whom are future first-generation students from low-income families. In addition, OSP/EOF provides support services, including personal, academic, career, and financial counseling, as well as tutoring, to students from backgrounds with limited financial resources and academic preparedness.
“A regional university like ours in a diverse place has a chance to do something dynamic and innovative. We have a chance to bring resources into the community that didn’t exist,” said Acebo. “Yet, the value proposition of higher education is under siege at times and often not unfairly. It can get stuck in its own bureaucracy at the expense of innovation.”
It’s exactly because higher education institutions become too satisfied with what they have achieved – and remain there – that the interim president isn’t interested in sitting still as he looks toward the future.
“There’s a lot left to do. There will always be the next thing to do if you care enough about embracing a culture of continuous improvement and focusing on the people we serve,” said Acebo, who is preparing the school for three years from now when it celebrates its centennial.
“We are shepherding an institution into its second century,” he said. “Whoever succeeds me will serve a mission that is fortified by our community. And when it’s done well, we change a family, a neighborhood, a state, and a nation.”
