Peter Kilpatrick Named President of Catholic University

The original version of this article was published on the Catholic University of America web site.

The Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America has appointed Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick as the 16th president of the University. He will take office on July 1, 2022. Peter was a long-standing member of the CBE faculty and served as our department head during 1999-2007.

In 2008 Peter was recruited by the University of Notre Dame to be dean of engineering. Since 2018, he has been provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“Serving as president of The Catholic University of America is a dream job for me, bringing together faith and reason in service to the human person and human dignity. I look forward to working with the faculty and community to continue moving Catholic University forward as a top tier research institution that also embraces its excellence in theology and the arts,” said Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick will succeed President John Garvey, who has served as president for 12 years.

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, Archbishop of Washington and Chancellor of Catholic University, welcomed Kilpatrick: “I would like to warmly congratulate Dr. Peter Kilpatrick on his appointment as the 16th President of The Catholic University of America. His wealth of experience, pursuit of academic excellence, and commitment to the Catholic identity of the University make him well qualified to guide the University into its next era.”

Kilpatrick received his undergraduate degree from Occidental College and his doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He spent the next 24 years at NC State, advancing from assistant professor to head of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular and founding director of the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC).