Board chair John C. McGinley made the first public announcement of the contract extension in video remarks during Duquesne's annual President's Dinner.
McGinley stated that during Gormley's impressive tenure, Duquesne has:
- Pursued the launch of a new medical school
- Rebuilt the University's signature home for athletics, the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
- Supported a new faculty- and student-driven general curriculum
- Launched a University-wide action plan to strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion
- Raised more than $162 million in philanthropic donations from alumni, friends of the University, and foundations, more than in any similar period in Duquesne history.
"It is hard to enumerate how much Ken Gormley has accomplished," McGinley said. "He embraces our Spiritan tradition and fosters its presence. He is an advocate of academic excellence and, as a president, he serves God by serving students, and is concerned for their physical, emotional and academic wellbeing. With Ken at the helm, we can look forward to another five years during which Duquesne will seize new opportunities and pursue bigger goals."
In addition, McGinley stated that Gormley helped spur innovation through important new centers and initiatives, including the John C. Rangos Awards for Students and Faculty, the Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, the Duquesne-China Institute and the Center for Emerging and Innovative Media.
"Perhaps the greatest challenge President Gormley has stared down arrived with the onset of COVID," McGinley said. "Duquesne responded. We kept our students in classes and in a safe and supervised environment."
"When I give talks, I always start by saying I'm honored to be Duquesne's president to serve our amazing students," said Gormley. "I'm doubly honored now that the board has given me more time to keep moving Duquesne forward. They have shown unwavering support for me, my leadership team and for all of us at Duquesne for what we've done and for the bold aspirations we have for our students. I'm proud to lead a University so committed to the community and the region and one that serves God by serving our students, so that they, in turn, can serve others."
Duquesne University
Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic universities
for its award-winning faculty and horizon-expanding education. A campus of nearly
8,000 graduate and undergraduate students, Duquesne prepares students by having them
work alongside faculty to discover and reach their goals. The University's academic
programs, community service and commitment to equity and opportunity in the Pittsburgh
region have earned national acclaim.
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