Chancellor Gallagher to Be Installed During Feb. 28 Honors Convocation

Patrick Gallagher will be formally installed as chancellor and chief executive officer of the University of Pittsburgh at the University’s 39th annual Honors Convocation. The convocation will be held Feb. 28, the 228th anniversary of the University’s founding. 

Honors Convocation is a gathering recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of Pitt students and faculty. It will begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 28 in the Carnegie Music Hall at 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 

Student academic honorees will be recognized by Patricia E. Beeson, provost and senior vice chancellor; student leadership awards will be presented by Kathy W. Humphrey, senior vice chancellor of engagement and chief of staff; and faculty awards will be presented by Arthur S. Levine, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. The Heinz Chapel Choir will perform throughout the event. 

The chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, Stephen Tritch, will formally install Patrick Gallagher as chancellor. Chancellor Gallagher will deliver the convocation address.     

Chancellor Gallagher was elected the 18th chancellor of Pitt by the University’s Board of Trustees at its Feb. 8, 2014, meeting. On Aug. 1, 2014, he assumed the role of chancellor of the University, which traces its birth to the Pittsburgh Academy—a schoolhouse on the edge of the American frontier established through a Pennsylvania charter dated Feb. 28, 1787. 

Chancellor Gallagher received a bachelor’s degree in physics and philosophy from Benedictine College, and he earned a Master of Science and a PhD in physics at Pitt in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Prior to becoming chancellor, Gallagher served as the acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, a position he was appointed to by President Barack Obama. In that capacity, he served as the chief operating officer for the department, with overall responsibility advancing the department’s mission of helping to make American businesses more innovative at home and more competitive abroad. In addition, Chancellor Gallagher served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology. He provided high-level direction for NIST, which promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. Prior to assuming the directorship of NIST in 2009, Chancellor Gallagher served in a number of capacities within that agency. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded him its Gold Medal for his leadership in interagency coordination efforts. In 2013, Pitt awarded Chancellor Gallagher an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree in recognition of his contributions to advancing our nation through science and technology, and he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Saint Vincent College in May 2014. He is a member of the American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi Honor Society, and Sigma Pi Sigma Honor Society.

Visit www.convocation.pitt.edu for more information about Honors Convocation.