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EDA/IDA Board Meeting
September 5, 2025
Page 2
Call to Order
Ms. Williams opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.
Christopher Newport University’s Economic Impact Presentation
Mrs. Kingston said that she and staff were thrilled to hold the September EDA/IDA Board
Meeting at the beautiful Christopher Newport University and to have President Bill Kelly join
the meeting. She noted that President Kelly is the 6th president of CNU and that since he
started the role in July of 2023, he has been exceptionally productive – initiating a Strategic
Compass to guide CNU’s goals, restructuring the Title IX Office, launching environmental
initiatives, forming alignments with community colleges, and improving admissions
strategies which have resulted in more applications and inclusivity. She noted that before
joining CNU, President Kelly served as the 42nd Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy, where he oversaw the development of future Coast Guard leaders and fostered
unprecedented diversity within the Academy.
President Kelly greeted the Board and thanked Mrs. Kingston for her introduction. He
informed the Board that CNU is proud to be Newport News’ hometown university and
shared his excitement that the university’s message is spreading throughout the community.
He stated that for the 2025-2026 academic year, CNU received the largest number of
applications ever, to include both out-of-state and in-state applications.
President Kelly stated that CNU is the number one regional public university in the State of
Virginia, awarding graduates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He stated that although
CNU was founded on liberal arts, 70% of the University’s students graduate with either a
STEM or business degree. He noted that a science and engineering center is currently
under construction, and will feature a two-story drone lab, a robotics lab and additionally
classrooms to meet the needs of the industries of tomorrow. He shared that CNU is able to
take advantage of the exceptional opportunities afforded by Jefferson Lab, Newport News
Shipbuilding, NASA, Ferguson, Riverside and others to provide excellent internships to its
students.
Ms. Williams asked if there were any questions, and there were none. She thanked
President Kelly for his remarks and for hosting the meeting.
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