CROSSING CAMPUSES
Carlow names Pitt administrator as its next president.
Carlow University has named Kathy W. Humphrey, a senior administrator at the University of Pittsburgh, as its next president.
What was a national search ended just up the street as Carlow’s board of trustees, acting on a presidential search committee’s recommendation, voted unanimously to make her the school’s 11th president, the school announced Friday. Both campuses are in Oakland.
“After a robust national search, Dr. Humphrey emerged as an extraordinary leader who will propel Carlow into the future,” said board chair Dorothy Davis. “Her dynamic vision will inspire and motivate Carlow students, faculty and the larger university community with her courageous voice, effective skills and engaged involvement.”
Ms. Humphrey, whose appointment is effective July 1, has three decades of experience in higher education. Currently, she is senior vice chancellor for student engagement and secretary to the board at Pitt. She also is an associate professor of education.
An announcement by Carlow pointed to her “deep commitment to student success and experience, and a strong allegiance to Carlow’s core Catholic Mercy values, especially regarding matters of social justice, equity and inclusion.”
Carlow’s current president, Suzanne Mellon, who is retiring June 30 after eight years, called Ms. Humphrey the right choice at the right time. Ms. Humphrey. in turn, said she was honored by the opportunity to lead the 2,000-student university.
“Carlow’s commitment to ensuring its students are careerready and prepared to lead a merciful and just world is an inspiration, and that mission is among the primary reasons I chose to work [in] higher education,” she said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
Ms. Humphrey came to Pitt in 2005 as vice provost and dean of students. Carlow, in its announcement, said she led “major initiatives to enhance Pitt’s campus environment with a particular focus on dismantling systemic racism and creating a ‘more just Pitt,’ and she has been at the forefront of expanding Pitt’s community engagement efforts.”
Ms. Humphrey previously held senior posts at Saint Louis
University in St. Louis, including vice president of student development and associate vice provost and director of housing and student life. She also has held positions at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo., and the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Missouri, a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Saint Louis University, Carlow officials said.