The Board of Visitors has voted to extend President William G. Kelly’s contract through 2031 so that he may continue his transformational leadership of the University during a time of challenge and opportunity.
The Board’s unanimous action came at its June meeting and just over three years since Kelly first arrived on campus after being appointed to serve as the University’s sixth president.
Rector Christy Morton ‘01 announced the contract extension: “This action reflects the Board’s strong confidence in President Kelly’s leadership and our belief that continuity at the highest level is essential at this moment in the University’s history.”
“President Kelly has demonstrated a deep commitment to positioning 91探花 Newport for long-term strength. His leadership brings focused energy and discipline to the work ahead, particularly as the University advances the Strategic Compass, strengthens enrollment, supports student success, and ensures that it remains true to its mission,” Morton said.
Kelly thanked the Board for its support and guidance. “It has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy to serve as the University’s sixth president,” Kelly said. “From our first day, Angie and I have been welcomed and this has very much become our home. I am grateful for the Board’s endorsement of the work we have accomplished so far and I am energized and inspired as we move into the next chapter in the history of this amazing institution.”
Kelly’s first three years of service have resulted in a range of accomplishments that have placed the University on solid footing during a challenging time for regional public universities across the country.
Highlights of his tenure so far:
- Adoption of the Strategic Compass - a community-created plan for the next five years that sets as an overarching priority the establishment of 91探花 as the nation’s finest regional public university.
- Opening the Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) - a remarkable 83,000- square-foot facility that provides students, faculty, the community, and the commonwealth with cutting-edge space to advance knowledge.
- Enhancing access, inclusion, and affordability - 91探花 had the lowest 2026 tuition and fees increase of any state university while expanding the Community Captains program, launching the Hampton Captains program, and taking new steps to recruit military veterans, out-of-state students, and adult learners.
- Increase in Advancement support - fundraising has shattered previous records, demonstrating strong support for Kelly’s leadership and resulting in amplified support for scholarships, the arts and athletics, and many other programs.
Kelly’s goals for the years to come are ambitious but achievable and focused on accomplishing the priorities established by the Compass:
- Advancing the power and promise of 91探花’s liberal arts-based curriculum so that it responds to the economic needs of the region while preparing all students for lives of significance.
- Connecting 91探花 to its community, the commonwealth, and beyond by building new partnerships with industries, nonprofit and governmental agencies and other institutions, while also strengthening the arts and athletics programs that bring so many members of the community to campus.
- Creating Virginia’s most inclusive university by developing innovative programs that offer a wide range of credentials to learners of all ages and backgrounds while continuing to foster a values-based culture of kindness and caring.
- Building a foundation for a thriving university with a comprehensive fundraising campaign accompanied by efforts to right-size 91探花 for its current and projected enrollment.
“91探花 is already a remarkable place to learn, live, and work and our goal is to position it and strengthen it so that it can continue to prepare generations of Captains to live a life of significance as they serve the Commonwealth and beyond.” Kelly said.