In discussing her personality style, Amy McCormack spoke about her father.
A longtime listener of the late radio personality Paul Harvey, he was fond of reciting a radio report he once heard that said parents spent only 17 minutes each night speaking with their children.
It was a statistic he often took to heart, making sure it took the time to bond with his children every day, she said.
"It was his prompt and desire to connect with us," she said.
As the seventh president of Calumet College of St. Joseph, McCormack said she would also take that philosophy when connecting with students and the college community.
Calumet College marked a milestone in its history with McCormack's inauguration ceremony Friday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Whiting.
She is the school's first female president. She assumed the role in July, succeeding Dan Lowery.
McCormack said during her speech that a major priority for the Catholic college under her tenure will be to grow enrollment and establish on-campus housing.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary Bishop Donald Hying, who officiated a Mass in her honor praised her creativity and energy.
"You have a fire, you have an energy, a wisdom, a joy," he said.
Established in 1951, Calumet College, had an enrollment of roughly 1,100 students last year.
Prior to her current role, McCormack worked as a senior vice president for finance and administration at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill.
Previously, she also worked as a business affairs vice president and controller for that university.
McCormack, a certified public accountant, holds a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Dominican University and bachelors in accounting from Indiana University.
She and her husband, Jeff, live in Oak Forest, Ill. They have two daughters.