Eamon M. Kelly

Eamon Michael Kelly (April 25, 1936 – June 28, 2017) was an American economist who served as president of Tulane University from 1981 to 1998 and chair of the National Science Board from 1998 to 2002. During his tenure at Tulane University, he improved its academic standards and financial health. The university had the highest percentage of African-American students among research universities at the time. He also led the sports program through a scandal. Following the university presidency, Kelly was heavily involved in service work, including being chairman of the National Science Board.

Early life and education

Kelly was born on April 25, 1936, in the Bronx, New York City, as the son of Irish immigrants. He attended Fordham University on a football scholarship, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1958.

While earning his Ph.D., Kelly taught undergraduate courses at Fordham and was a major influence on Mario Gabelli, who later became a billionaire fund manager.

Academic and administrative career Following completion of his Ph.D., Kelly became an assistant professor at the Pennsylvania State University.

Tulane University Kelly became the chief financial officer and executive vice president of Tulane University in 1979. Following the resignation of Tulane University President Sheldon Hackney in 1980, Kelly became interim president of the university and permanent president the following year. This revelation, combined with reports of academic irregularities, led Kelly to close the program in order to "demonstrate unambiguously this academic community's intolerance of the violations and actions we have uncovered." As it turned out, several faculty members were so outraged by the extent of the misconduct that they demanded Tulane drop athletics altogether. They were only appeased when Kelly disbanded the basketball team. Kelly was widely praised for his decision; for example, Armen Keteyian of Sports Illustrated wrote that as draconian as the decision was, the misconduct was so egregious that only "the most drastic measure" was appropriate.

On his retirement from the university presidency in 1998, Kelly became president emeritus and served as a faculty member at Tulane University.

Public service and philanthropic work In 1998, Kelly co-founded with William E. Bertrand the Payson Center in International Development at the Tulane University School of Law. Its mission is to research the role of information communication technologies in sustainable human development.

Since 1998, Kelly continued to serve on various philanthropic and government boards, with special focus on science and technology and on the developing world, especially Africa. The U.S. Senate confirmed Kelly on May 1, 1997 to a term expiring on May 10, 2002. On May 6, 1998, the National Science Board elected Kelly as chair and re-elected him in May 2000. He was the first social scientist to hold this position.

Awards and honors In 1997, Kelly received the Louisiana NAACP State Conference Distinguished Service Award. He was awarded the 1998 National Arts Club Centennial Medal for Contributions to Education and Humanity in 1998. He was the 1999 recipient of the Caring Citizens for the Humanities Award from the International Council for Caring Communities in 1999. He received the 1998 Louisiana Human Rights Campaign Award in 1996. Kelly received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Jackson State University in 2008.

Personal life Kelly and his wife Margaret were married in 1963. They had four children, Martin, Paul, Andrew, and Peter. Their eldest son, Martin, died in a car accident in 1983 at the age of 19. Kelly resided in New Orleans from 1979 until his death on June 28, 2017, at Tulane University Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, three children, and nine grandchildren in New Orleans, Louisiana, and California.

Selected publications Kelly, E. M. (1968), "The Profitability of Growth Through Mergers*. The Journal of Finance, 23: 546–547. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6261.1968.tb00835.x Colwell, R. R., Kelly, E. M. (1999). Science Learning, Science Opportunity". Science, 286(5438), 237. Kelly, E., Suzuki, B., Gaillard, M. (1999). "Education Reform for a Mobile Population". Issues in Science and Technology, 15(4), 37–39. Kelly, E. M. (2000). "Environmental Science and Engineering for the 21st Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation". National Science Board and National Science Foundation, NSB 00±22, Arlington, VA.