Dr. Michael T. Kelly touched the hearts of many students; faculty and staff at NEIU. His presence will be missed. Dr. Kelly, known as Dean Kelly to many of his students, went above and beyond his call of a professional in higher education, to the level of friend for many. Students and staff were saddened on Friday when the news of his passing swept through the corridors of our campus. He is survived by his wife, sons, and a host of family members, friends, colleagues, and mentees.
Dean Kelly’s family, friends, former students and colleagues from Arizona to Rhode Island, flooded a site which is maintained by Tribune with condolences, kind words, and testimonials in response to the news. Known for his insight, passion, and dedication to students – Kelly lead the Office of Dean of Students and its programs with true compassion for the population it served.
Members of the university community expressed anger at the way the news of his passing was handled by university administrators. The university answered the buzz with the scheduling of transportation to take a limited number of people to the funeral services this Wednesday. Also, the Counseling Office staff is available for anyone who might need their services. University community members can visit them in D-024 or call (773) 442-4650.
Students interested in taking advantage of the transportation offered by the university would need to fill out a form on Org Sync. The address to those forms is: orgsync.com/6502/forms/show/44895.
For those students who would like to go to the services on their own – Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 7, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Cumberland Chapels. They’re located at 8300 W. Lawrence Ave., Norridge, IL. The funeral is due to take place this Wednesday, February 8, 8:30 a.m. with Mass immediately following at 10 a.m. at Mary Queen of Heaven Church at 426 N. West Street, Elmhurst, IL. To leave a message in his honor, visit the Chicago Tribune Guestbook.

Published: Monday, February 6, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 2012 23:02