"Christopher Newport University has named Rear Adm. William G. Kelly, superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, as its president. He becomes the university’s first new leader in almost three decades.

Kelly, 57, succeeds Paul S. Trible Jr., who oversaw CNU for 26 years. During Trible’s tenure, the university in Newport News transformed its campus, raised its academic profile, added a football team and turned a commuter school into a residential university.

'His dedication to the principles of scholarship, a life of purpose and to student success make him the perfect compassionate leader for Christopher Newport as the university begins its next chapter,' said Lindsey Carney Smith, head of the school’s board," reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Photo: Rear Adm. William G. Kelly. Photo courtesy Christopher Newport University