A historic inauguration for the College of St. Benedict (CSB) and St. John’s University (SJU) happened Friday afternoon.

President Brian J. Bruess, Ph. D., is now the first president of both CSB and SJU.

“It’s a really innovative approach to higher education that we’re just so happy about,” Bruess told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “It’s the only thing of its kind in American higher education.”

The concept began taking shape in 2018.

“They spent a couple of years contemplating the complexities with bringing the schools even closer together,” Bruess noted, adding, “It was in January of 2022 that we officially moved into this concept called Strong Integration.”

Bruess was officially named to the position in March 2022 and began working at the start of July 2022. He is the first person to be president of two four-year private colleges simultaneously in Minnesota, according to a news release.

Prior to working at CSB and SJU, Bruess worked at St. Catherine University for 21 years before working as president of St. Norbert College.

Bruess believes the unique construct of overseeing two universities could set a trend for others to follow.

“I think most of higher education is watching to see what we can do,” Bruess said.