Ken Gormley

Lawyer and educator. Visionary community leader. Ken Gormley brings a deep commitment to Duquesne University and its Spiritan mission. Gormley became the 13th president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in July 2016. Since then, the University has continued to rise as one of U.S. News and World Report's top-tier national schools and as a top choice among national Catholic universities. During Gormley's tenure, Duquesne has enrolled in two of the largest and most diverse freshman classes in University history, in contrast to overall declines in college enrollments across the country.

Under Gormley's leadership, fundraising reached new heights, posting record-breaking totals in 2018, including the largest single gift in the history of the Duquesne University School of Law that established the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education. A $2 million RACP grant from the state of Pennsylvania, along with a long-term partnership with UPMC, were used to transform the University's Palumbo Center into the state-of-the-art UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and develop sports performance and sports medicine programs.

By the end of his first year as president, Gormley unveiled a five-year strategic plan with five key imperatives, one of which — the opening of a modern career development center — was realized a year later. To achieve another imperative to become the region's flagship institution for community engagement, Gormley created the new Office of Community Engagement which oversees collaborations with neighborhood development groups, corporations and government agencies, community health care organizations, and local education initiatives.