Michael Brophy, Ph.D. Biography
Dr. Michael Brophy will assume the role of the eighth President of Hudson Valley Community College on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.
Dr. Michael Brophy has served in higher education leadership positions for more than 35 years, with 23 years as a chief executive. He currently serves as the president of Hilbert College (Buffalo). His career began in the Capital District. After graduating from Greenville High School, he earned degrees and gained enrollment management experience at The College of Saint Rose before being promoted to enrollment leadership appointments at Russell Sage College.
His career includes deep experience in two-year college environments, including leadership appointments as Director of Admissions at Sage Junior College of Albany, Dean of Enrollment at SUNY College of Technology at Canton, and a Campus Executive Officer within the University of Wisconsin two-year college system. His two-year enrollment consulting experiences include advising the Indiana, Kentucky, and Louisiana community and technical college systems.
Dr. Brophy’s service as a college president spans nineteen years, including presidencies in Buffalo (Hilbert College), Los Angeles (Marymount California University), and Chicago (Benedictine University). Highlights of his tenure at these institutions include doubling enrollment at Marymount, raising Benedictine’s Standard & Poor’s credit rating, and increasing enrollment at Hilbert by 30% by adding new degree programs, establishing an online division, and expanding its NCAA Division III athletic programs. Under Dr. Brophy’s leadership, Hilbert’s longstanding mission of access has extended into the Buffalo Public Schools with its Higher Educational Opportunity, Dual Enrollment, Say Yes Apprenticeship, and Liberty Partnership programs.
A Fulbright recipient, Dr. Brophy has taught English, Film, Cuban Arts and Culture, Higher Education, Leadership and Freshman Seminar classes with teaching appointments at Long Island University, the University of Wisconsin Colleges, Marymount California University, Russell Sage College, and Benedictine University. His films have been screened in Europe, Cuba, and the United States, and his Cuban medical research work led to his appointment as a regional faculty associate at UW-Milwaukee’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
Dr. Brophy earned a BA in music and a MA in English from The College of Saint Rose, an MFA in writing from Long Island University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a musician, he has accompanied gospel choirs and performed with students and faculty in classical, pop, and jazz settings.
Dr. Brophy and his spouse, Tara, have three grown children and two grandchildren, as well as relatives in the Capital District.