Andrés Acebo Ascends to Serve His Hometown Community
The first-generation son of Cuban immigrants. The first in his family to earn college degrees, a bachelor’s degree at Brown University and then a JD from Rutgers Law School. Andrés Acebo could have gone on to bigger and greater opportunities in new cities, new countries.
But he chose to return to the New Jersey community where he grew up, where he serves as the youngest university president in the state.
His lived experience empowers his service to the students of New Jersey City University, which he’s successfully brought from fiscal emergency to positive recovery.
It’s a privilege that Acebo doesn’t take for granted, and he sees the impact of his work reflected back at him on campus every day.
We want to hear from you. Tune in, subscribe and don’t forget to leave a review.
For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast episode.
About Our Guest
Andrés Acebo, the 13th President of New Jersey City University, is the proud first-generation son of Cuban exiles and a Hudson County native who grew up in Union City, N.J. In January 2023, he became only the third Hispanic to serve as the leader of a four-year public institution of higher education in New Jersey and is the youngest known president to ever lead a public university in the state. Acebo was unanimously appointed president by the Board of Trustees on July 23, 2025, after serving as interim president since January 17, 2023.
In less than two years of mission-driven leadership, Acebo has guided NJCU from fiscal emergency to remarkable recovery. Under his leadership, NJCU achieved its first balanced operating budget since 2017—transforming a $22.7 million deficit into financial stability. This recovery earned historic recognition from rating agencies: Moody’s upgraded NJCU from “negative” to “stable” (February 2024) and then to “positive” (May 2025), while Fitch followed with its own upgrade (November 2024). These represented NJCU’s first rating improvements in over a decade and first-ever positive outlook from Moody’s.
In May 2024, ROI-NJ named him the No. 1 ranked Influencer in New Jersey Higher Education. In September 2024, he ranked No. 4 overall in the NJBiz Education Power 50 List—the highest ranking of any college or university president in New Jersey.
Acebo orchestrated four major strategic initiatives: the NJCU Recovery and Revitalization Plan (April 2023), the university’s first Academic Master Plan (February 2024), first Strategic Enrollment Plan (April 2023), and inaugural Student Development and Community Engagement Strategic Plan (December 2024). In February 2024, the university refreshed its Mission Statement and introduced its first-ever Vision Statement.
He has forged key partnerships with other colleges, highlighted by the Hudson Connect Program with Hudson County Community College, and similar agreements with Essex County College and Mercer County Community College. He has signed strategic MOUs with the NJEA, Hudson Building Trades, GLACO, AFT Local 1839, Jersey City POBA, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, SHCCNJ and HCLACC.
Acebo holds a B.A. from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. He is a proud product of Union City public schools and father to three young children. He is married to an NJCU alumnae and dedicated educator
