LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In 2010, Tori Murden McClure became president of Spalding University. After 14 years at the helm, she will retire in June. But before she goes, Spalding announced it will permanently honor McClure.
The school plans to rename the Third Street Academic Center to the McClure Academic Center.
Before she was at the helm of the Louisville university, McClure became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean in Dec. 1999.
According to a release from Spalding, the university gained the academic center in 2004. It had 10 classrooms and the second floor administrative suite housed the Office of the President, where McClure spent most of her time.
The renamed building also honors McClure’s husband, Mac. The school community has named him the “First Man of Spalding,” saying he has played a pivotal role during his wife’s tenure. She thanked her husband during her retirement address. She said, “My husband has been a steadfast partner and my biggest supporter throughout this journey. Mac has encouraged me to take several months away from work. Whatever is next, I want to learn to sail, read more books, spend more time with friends, and enjoy more of everything.”
In her 14 years at Spalding, McClure had a dramatic and lasting effect. According to the school, the campus endowment grew by 311% and their net assets by 355%. On top of this, Spalding added athletic fields, the Kosair Charities School of Physical Therapy and several green spaces.
McClure’s colleagues spoke volumes about what she’s meant to the school and the community.
“After 14 years at the helm of Spalding, President McClure has been an extraordinary leader. But knowing all the extraordinary things she’s accomplished at our university, the growth of academic programs and extracurricular opportunities for our students, doubling the size of campus, updating our technology, establishing our first sports fields—the list goes on and on—well, it’s pretty hard to see her go,” said Kathleen Driskell, chair and professor at Spalding University’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of writing.
University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto also expressed his gratitude and the inspirational leadership President McClure brought to the Spalding Community.
“Tori McClure’s personal story is marked by courage, perseverance, determination and caring. She brought these same attributes to every endeavor she took in her life, especially when it came to higher education,” said Capilouto. “I am confident her story stands as a sterling example and inspiration to the friends, colleagues, faculty, and students who came her way.”