UOG Welcomes Dr. Krise as its 11th President

The Board of Regents announced that Dr. Thomas Krise will start his term as the 11th President of the University on August 6, 2018. UOG’s Board of Regents (BOR) selected Dr. Krise, a retired Air Force officer who served as President of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, to succeed Dr. Robert Underwood as head of the institution.

Dr. Underwood will remain employed with the University until August 25, 2018 and will be completing key projects and assisting with the transition. Dr. Underwood started his tenure in 2008 and is the longest-serving UOG President.

“I’m honored to become a part of the University community, thankful to the Board of Regents for their confidence in me, and I look forward to listening and learning UOG’s rich story from the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have made it what it is and set it on the path to greatness. UOG is a unique institution with the distinctive purpose of serving the people of Guam and the whole Micronesian region. Dr. Underwood’s leadership has been inspiring and I look forward to building on his tremendous legacy. My wife, Patty, and I are excited to become Tritons and contribute to the University’s mission: Ina, Diskubre, Setbe—to Enlighten, to Discover, and to Serve,” says Dr. Thomas Krise. 

Dr. Krise is a graduate of All Saints Cathedral School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He also graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago. Prior to serving as PLU president, Dr. Krise served as dean of arts and sciences at the University of the Pacific, as chair of the English department at the University of Central Florida, and as a Fulbright scholar at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. He also served 22 years on active duty in the Air Force, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He served on the faculty of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, as a Senior Military Fellow of the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Washington, and as Vice Director of the National Defense University Press in Washington.