Ann Cudd appointed president of Portland State University

The Portland State University Board of Trustees voted to appoint Ann E. Cudd, provost and senior vice chancellor of Pitt, as Portland State’s next president. 

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher announced this change to the Pitt community on Friday afternoon, calling Cudd’s appointment “incredible and well-deserved.”

“Despite the inevitable feeling of loss that accompanies such a move, Portland [State]’s recruitment and selection of Ann — a successful leader and bright talent — is hardly unexpected,” Gallagher said. 

In a joint message to the Portland State community on Friday, Greg Hinckley, chairman of Portland State’s Board of Trustees, and Benjamin Berry, vice chair of Portland State’ Board of Trustees and chair of the school’s presidential search advisory committee, said Cudd will start in her new role on Aug. 1. Until then, she will continue to serve as provost at Pitt. 

University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said information about the process to find a new provost and senior vice chancellor is not yet available, but “there will be more to come at a later date.” 

Cudd told Portland State in a press release that she is “thrilled” by the opportunity to lead the university. 

“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. “I am extremely excited to take on this role leading a university located in the middle of a beautiful, progressive city that has captured my heart.”

The Portland State Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Cudd, according to Hinckley and Berry, who said she shared the university’s value of student success. 

“Throughout the search process, Dr. Cudd stood out to the Board for her deep commitment to academic and research excellence, community engagement, the vital importance of racial equity and the powerful role that an urban-serving university can play in our region and in a renaissance for Portland,” Hinckley and Berry said. 

Cudd’s career at Pitt started when the Board of Trustees appointed her to provost and senior vice chancellor in 2018. Previously, she had served as dean of both the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston University. 

In his Friday afternoon message, Gallagher noted some of the highlights of Cudd’s career, including launching the Pitt Success Pell Match program, establishing the Provost Academy, driving a heightened demand for a Pitt education and overseeing two cluster hire initiatives that have “significantly increased the number of faculty hired, promoted and retained in the fields of Latinx issues as well as Race and Social Determinants of Equity, Health and Well-Being.”

Cudd has also faced some controversy this year, as debates swirl about the future of the English Language Institute and ongoing faculty union negotiations.