Cape Girardeau native Blattner to be sworn in to lead Fontbonne

Nancy H. Blattner, a 1976 graduate of Notre Dame High School, will be inaugurated Sunday as president of Fontbonne University in Clayton, Missouri.

Blattner has been serving in the role since July 2020 but her formal swearing-in was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a release from the St, Louis County Catholic institution stated Tuesday.

"The inauguration of a president, while important in the life of a university, pales in comparison to the celebration of an institution's 100th anniversary," Blattner said, referring to Fontbonne's centennial event schedule launching in August 2022.

Blattner has an extensive history with the school, founded in 1923, having served as Fontbonne's vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty from 2004 to 2009.

In 2009, Blattner assumed the presidency of Caldwell University, a Dominican university in New Jersey, where she spent 11 years before returning to Fontbonne.

During her tenure at Caldwell, according to the Fontbonne statement, "the college achieved university status, the student population grew significantly, major renovations occurred including the building of a new chapel and the number of doctoral programs increased."

Blattner holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education and English and a master's degree in English, both from Southeast Missouri State University.

She earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

"I've been very fortunate to have been in Catholic higher ed now for over 16 years," Blattner said. "Fontbonne was my first opportunity to be in a Catholic institution of higher education."