The board of trustees of Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, has appointed Kelli Armstrong as the eighth president of the university. When she takes office in July, Dr. Armstrong will be the first leader of the university who is not a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy.
Salve Regina College enrolled its first class of 58 women students in 1947. The educational institution became co-educational in 1973 and transitioned to university status in 1991. Today, Salve Regina University enrolls about 2,200 undergraduate students and more than 600 graduate students. Women make up two thirds of the undergraduate student body.
In accepting her new position, Dr. Armstrong stated “I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as Salve Regina’s next president. Throughout the search process I was impressed by the extraordinary warmth of the Salve community; it is clearly a special place. The Sisters of Mercy’s values of social justice and service closely align with my own. They have created a wonderful educational environment that is unique in its preparation of students for lifelong learning with a moral compass. Salve Regina has a bright, exciting future and I look forward to working with the entire University community to advance its mission.”
Dr. Armstrong currently serves as vice president for planning and assessment at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She was served on the staff at Boston College since 2002. Prior to joining the administration at Boston College, Dr. Armstrong was associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.
A graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, Dr. Armstrong earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Boston College.