Portland State University names Pittsburgh Provost as its new president

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland State University has revealed who will take over the role of university president starting this August.

On Friday morning, Dr. Ann E. Cudd was named PSU’s next president — following a unanimous vote from the Board of Trustees. She will succeed current President Stephen Percy, who announced his retirement from the university in May 2022.

Cudd currently serves as the University of Pittsburgh’s Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, and she previously held positions at Boston University, University of Kansas, Occidental College.

“Dr. Ann Cudd stood out to the Board of Trustees for her commitments to academic excellence, community engagement, the importance of equity and inclusion, and her deeply held belief in the powerful role that an urban-serving university can play in our region,” PSU Board of Trustees Chair Greg Hinckley said.

According to PSU, Cudd has promoted many racial justice and equity initiatives at Pitt, in addition to being an essential part of Pitt’s Success Pell Match, an enhanced financial aid program that parallels the Portland university’s Tuition-Free Degree.

PSU also reported that the University of Pittsburgh saw a 60% growth in applications during her tenure.

When she starts her role with PSU, Cudd says restoring the downtown campus and increasing enrollment — for low-income, first-generation students in particular — are two of her priorities.

“Portland State’s mission to Let Knowledge Serve the City and to open the doors of opportunity for students from all backgrounds aligns exactly with my core values and with the kind of work that I have done at the University of Pittsburgh,” Cudd said.

Once Cudd relocates from Pennsylvania this summer and starts her PSU tenure this fall, she will become the university’s 11th president and the second woman to assume the role in the university’s 76-year history.