Kelli Armstrong, Boston College’s vice president for planning and assessment, has been named president of Salve Regina University, according to a University release. Armstrong, who arrived at BC in 2004, will begin her tenure at her new home this June.
“I am deeply grateful to Boston College for giving me the opportunity to serve this wonderful community,” Armstrong said in the release. “For 15 years, I have been blessed to work with extraordinarily talented faulty, staff, and students, and it has been a privilege to witness the advancement and impact of our mission.
“I look forward to the opportunities that await me at Salve Regina, knowing that wherever I go BC will always be in my heart.”
Armstrong has presided over one of the most successful financial runs in the history of the University. Under her watch, BC established the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment in 2007. That office is responsible for aiding campus managers across the University in planning and using information, according to the release.
Armstrong oversaw space planning and integrating the goals of BC’s 2008 Institutional Master Plan with the goals of individual departments. That work was part of the reason BC’s Light the World capital campaign has been a success. During the campaign, the University raised $1.065 billion, built Stokes Hall, the Harrington Athletics Village, the Fish Field House, and a new home on Brighton Campus for the McMullen Museum of Art. In addition, the campaign fueled the creation the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship and provided further funding for various research initiatives and other opportunities for faculty members.
“I am grateful for Kelli’s commitment and leadership to the University over her many years of service,” Executive Vice President of Boston College Michael Lochhead said in the release. “She worked in the seams between departments and organizations to ensure that people, processes, and decisions were successful.”
Lochhead specifically commended her work advocating for “women and underrepresented populations” at BC. Armstrong founded the Montserrat Task Force to aid the Montserrat Office in its efforts to provide support to low-income members of the BC community.
She also founded the Women’s Collaborative—a women’s networking group based out of BC “that sponsors speakers and volunteer activities,” according to the release—with Brenda Ricard, associate vice president of advancement operations and planning.
“In Kelli, Salve Regina selected a wonderful president and a first-class, caring, and committed leader whose positive energy will no doubt enliven the work of those around her,” Lochhead said. “I wish her the best of luck and much success in her new presidency.”
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley echoed Lochhead’s sentiments, while commending Armstrong’s work on the latest strategic plan that came out in August 2017.
Armstrong is the second BC administrator to depart Chestnut Hill to become a president of a different university in the last year. Rev. James P. Burns, I.V.D., former dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies, left BC to become the president at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. last May.
Featured Image Courtesy of University Communications
