John DiBiaggio was named President Emeritus of Tufts University on September 1, 2001, after having served as the eleventh president from August 1, 1992 to 2001. Prior to that appointment, he served as president of Michigan State University from 1985 to 1992, and as president of the University of Connecticut from 1979 to 1985. In addition, he has served as vice president for health affairs and executive director of the Medical Center at the University of Connecticut, as dean of the Dental School at Virginia Commonwealth University, and as assistant dean of the Dental School at the University of Kentucky. He was a Scholar in Residence at Harvard University for the Fall semester, 2002, and at Michigan State University for the Fall semester, 2003.

Among his achievements at Tufts was the establishment of the University College of Citizenship and Public Service, which integrates the theory and application of active citizenship in courses throughout Tufts' undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Within the college, he participated in the teaching of an annual course on leadership, which utilized as guest lecturers leaders in business, volunteer agencies, and government. He also spearheaded the completion of a strategic plan for the university that sets a course and vision for the beginning of the new century, positioning Tufts at the forefront of institutions of higher education.

In 1994, under his leadership, the university launched the Tufts Tomorrow Campaign, with an original fundraising target of $400 million.

The university's advancement under Dr. DiBiaggio's leadership is reflected in its increased selectivity, its expanded physical plant, and the impressive quality of its undergraduate, graduate and professional students and faculty.

Dr. DiBiaggio holds three earned degrees and 13 honorary degrees, and has been recognized by numerous honorary societies. He is the recipient of many distinguished awards and is the author of over 100 publications.

As one who has held a lifelong commitment to volunteering, Dr. DiBiaggio has served as chairman of the boards of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges and the American Council on Education, as chairman of the National Campus Compact, on the boards of the American Film Institute, the NCAA Foundation, and the blue ribbon Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
He is a member of the Commission on the International Exchange of Scholars, which he chairs, and serves on the Board of the American Cancer Society Foundation of which he was president from 1998 to 2001. He is also a director of the KAMAN Corporation, and was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts in October 2003.

He now heads Predulac Enterprises, a firm providing consultative and other services to a variety of academic, private, and non-profit entities.