Former Duquesne president Murray dies
PITTSBURGH – As Duquesne University’s first non clergy president, John Murray Jr. led the Pittsburgh school’s evolution from struggling also-ran to booming research hub and one of the nation’s top-ranked Catholic schools.
The chancellor and law professor died Wednesday at a Pittsburgh hospital after suffering a heart attack. He was 82.
Current president Charles Dougherty remembered Murray as an incredible leader, teacher, scholar and lawyer.
Murray led Duquesne from 1988-2001, guiding it out of a dark era of deferred accreditation, declining enrollment and stagnant grants and scholarship funds.
During his tenure, the university raised $219 million, developed 150 new programs and two new schools.
The Philadelphia native held degrees from La Salle, Catholic University of America and Wisconsin. He previously served as dean of the Pittsburgh and Villanova law schools.