Duquesne University Names Provost David Dausey 14th President

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Duquesne University Board of Directors Chair Diane Hupp today announced that following a national search for its next president, Dr. David J. Dausey, a nationally recognized leader in higher education and public health, has been appointed as the University's 14th president.

Currently Executive Vice President and Provost at Duquesne, Dausey brings a distinguished record of academic leadership and innovation, having served in senior roles that advanced academic excellence, student success, research strength and community engagement. His appointment marks a new chapter in Duquesne's 147-year history, reinforcing its commitment to academic distinction and service. He will be the fourth lay president in the Catholic and Spiritan university's history.

"Provost Dausey stood out among a very distinguished and accomplished group of applicants from around the country, all of whom admired both our storied mission and the great momentum Duquesne has right now," said Diane Hupp, Chair of the Board of Directors at Duquesne and president of UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "I am thankful to the faculty, administrators and board members who served on the search committee who listened and weighed carefully input from the key constituents of the Duquesne community, including Spiritans, students, faculty, emeritus faculty, alumni and community partners.

"Our main imperative was to find the most qualified person to understand Duquesne and what is necessary to lead the University forward at this time. We face a period of great challenge and opportunity for higher education, when mission-driven Catholic education especially has so much to give students and our larger society," Hupp said. "Dr. Dausey's values and experience uniquely align with our vision for an exciting future of service to our students, our region and the world. We have great confidence that Dr. Dausey is the right leader for this key moment in the life of Duquesne."

Dausey will officially assume the presidency on July 1, 2026. In his remarks at today's press conference, he emphasized his dedication to fostering a vibrant campus community and expanding Duquesne's reach as a premier national Catholic university, stressing momentum on numerous fronts and the University's favorable position. "I look forward to stewarding this institution's reputation and to expanding what is possible for our students," Dausey said. 

"The Spiritan Congregation knows and admires Dr. Dausey for his leadership on many fronts at Duquesne," said the Rev. John Fogarty, C.S.Sp., provincial of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit Province of the United States and chair of the Duquesne University Corporation. "He has done much to keep Spiritan character at the heart of Duquesne's academic enterprise, encouraging faculty to develop authentic relationships among themselves and with our students, and to recognize that education and service are as much about discovery as they are about mastering specific material."

Current Duquesne University President Ken Gormley, who has worked closely with Dausey since his arrival in 2018 to serve as Duquesne's executive vice president and Provost, was enthusiastic about the Board's selection.

"Provost Dausey has earned the trust and respect of faculty and staff across the University," said Gormley, who announced in March his plans to step down in June 2026, at which time he will assume the role of Chancellor at Duquesne. "David has exhibited creativity and leadership not only when it comes to Duquesne's faculty research and teaching but also in shaping a vision for the University."

"He has been a key part of our momentum and played a leading role in the establishment of our new medical school and other major initiatives," Gormley added. "David has developed valuable networks with alumni, regional leaders, foundation executives, the Spiritan community and others. I am thrilled that he will help lead Duquesne into its next great era."

Dausey has held academic appointments in both Duquesne's Rangos School of Health Sciences and Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as an appointment as a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition to leading academic operations at Duquesne, including over 200 degree and certificate programs across 10 schools, Dausey has overseen research and innovation, enrollment management, online learning, student success, educational and classroom technology, university libraries, academic centers and institutes, and international programs, including Duquesne's programs in Rome, Italy and Dublin, Ireland.

During Dausey's time as Provost, he helped steer the University through a period of transformative change, most notably in helping to create the Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine, developing a new University curriculum named the Bridges Common Learning Experience, launching new engineering programs in the University's School of Science and Engineering, and leveraging his expertise and networks in health administration and epidemiology to guide the University's overall operational response during the COVID pandemic. 

"I am deeply honored to have been selected to lead Duquesne at such a pivotal time," Dausey said. "I see the Presidency as a powerful opportunity to help others, centered around the incredible and transformative mission of Duquesne. As a first-generation college student who started my higher education journey in a community college, I'm humbled by the opportunity to open doors for others, champion voices that are unheard and ensure that every student, regardless of their background, has the chance to realize their full potential. Serving as the next President of Duquesne University will be the greatest honor of my life, and I am ready to lead with vision, humility and strength."

An internationally recognized epidemiologist, Dausey is an elected fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. He has worked closely with senior health officials in over 20 countries and experts from international organizations and foundations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the Global Health and Security Initiative and The Rockefeller Foundation. He has led health projects worldwide and directed millions of dollars in extramural research funding. His extensive academic contributions include numerous books, research articles and reports, many of which have gained national media attention.

As a national advocate for education, health care and public health, Dausey has conducted hundreds of media interviews and written commentaries for various news outlets. He has also served on the board of directors of numerous community organizations focused on philanthropy, academia, health care, economic development, and arts and culture. 

Before Duquesne, Provost Dausey served as the Executive Vice President and Provost of Mercyhurst University. He also worked as a full-time researcher with the RAND Corporation and as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

A Pittsburgh native, Provost Dausey grew up in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Mercyhurst University. He earned master's and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from Yale University and a second doctoral degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed post-graduate training in higher education leadership and management at Harvard University. He and his wife, Nichole, live in Monroeville. They have two sons, both of whom are currently undergraduate students at Duquesne.

For the search, the University's Board contracted with Julie Tea and DSG Storbeck, a prominent education-related international search firm that knows the University well and has been crucial to past searches to fill executive positions at Duquesne.

SOURCE Duquesne University