University Of Portland Makes School History With President-Elect

PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Portland made school history Tuesday.

Dr. Robert Kelly has been named the 121-year-old Catholic university’s 21st president.

He’s the first African-American and layperson in the position, “I am humbled by this distinction and I recognize the historic nature of my selection. I come to this position after much discernment and prayer, and I do not take this responsibility lightly. I walk in the footsteps of so many wonderful Holy Cross priests and brothers who have preceded me in their service on The Bluff.  And I pledge to the Congregation, and to all who call UP home, my commitment to ensuring that our Catholic, Holy Cross mission endures and thrives.”

Dr. Kelly comes to Portland from Loyola University in Baltimore, where he was most recently Vice President, “It is with tremendous excitement, deep humility, abiding gratitude, and profound joy that I stand before you as President-elect of the University of Portland. I am richly blessed to have the opportunity to serve and to lead UP—a truly extraordinary institution.”

His first day on the Bluff is July 1st.

He succeeds Reverend Mark Poorman, who is now at the University of Notre Dame.

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