murray was president of duquesne university from 1988 to 2001, serving what the "pittsburgh post-gazette" referred to as an "extraordinary tenure" that set "a standard of excellence and achievement that is truly remarkable and may prove hard to equal." during his administration, duquesne grew from a small, financially distressed catholic university to a major research institution with over 10,000 students, a significant endowment, and numerous new buildings and facilities.