Contact: Sean McFarland, MA
Public Relations & Communications Manager
Email: sdmcfarland@carlow.edu
Phone: 412-260-6807
Champion for education access to use University’s highest position to serve the Pittsburgh community
PITTSBURGH – Students, faculty, family and other members of the Carlow University community packed Carnegie Music Hall to welcome Kathy W. Humphrey, PhD as the University’s 11th president. University leadership formally inaugurated Dr. Humphrey before a who’s who of prominent leaders in Western Pennsylvania.
Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive of Allegheny County, the Honorable Ed Gainey, Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pastor Brian Edmonds, Senior Pastor of the Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh and Patrick Gallagher, PhD, Chancellor of University of Pittsburgh were in attendance to welcome Dr. Humphrey to the role. Sister Patricia McDermott, RSM, President of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Rabbi Schmuel Weinstein, Director of Chabad House on Campus in Pittsburgh and Most Reverend David A Zubik, DD, Bishop, Diocese of Pittsburgh also attended to provide praise for Dr. Humphrey.
President Humphrey, standing on the shoulders of the Sisters of Mercy, continues to be a champion for students to complete post-secondary and higher education pathways. President Humphrey, who called the inauguration “the crowning point of my 37-year career in higher education,” aims to upend lasting misconceptions about the University.
“Upon my arrival, I would hear folks refer to Carlow as a small university, but there is nothing small about what were are able to accomplish when we answer the call,” said President Humphrey. “For Carlow is a mighty institution with a mighty task to give hope and opportunity to those who otherwise may not have a chance to receive a four-year college education.”
The ceremony, which can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here, welcomed past presidents Dr. Mary Louise Fennell, Dr. Mary Hines and Dr. Suzanne Mellon, capped off a week of inauguration festivities, which included lectures, a Catholic Relief Services Helping Hands food-packing event, and a presidential gift ceremony.
At the inauguration, President Humphrey, who was a Pell-eligible college student herself, took time to speak about her goals for the University, which include improving education for women of color in Pittsburgh by reestablishing the Hill College.
“Strengthening all women, especially Black women in Pittsburgh, is a goal that we must share if we are to make progress and change the state of Black Pittsburgh,” she said. “The Hill College provided women who lived in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and other economically challenged areas an opportunity to have easy access to a college degree in a place and space where people like them were transforming their lives together.”
President Humphrey’s tenure in the President’s Office began in the summer of 2021.
About Carlow University
Carlow is a private, co-educational, Catholic university located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Eds, Meds, and Tech” district. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929, Carlow’s curricula and partnerships reflect its strong commitment to social justice; ethical, forward-thinking and responsible leadership; and service to the community that has a meaningful impact. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in two colleges: the College of Health and Wellness and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Carlow University also believes in the education and growth of students both inside and outside the classroom, where they can join student government, clubs, and academic honorary societies where they can develop skills in judgment, leadership, analysis, decision-making, and communication. For student-athletes, Carlow’s 14 athletic teams are known as the Celtics, a reflection of the university’s Irish heritage and roots.