Chancellor Perman Appoints Presidential Search Committee

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 12:10:40 -0400

To the UMBC Community:

I’m pleased to share that the USM Board of Regents today approved the members of the UMBC President Search and Screening Committee, whose membership includes students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other university stakeholders. Below is the press release that will be distributed later this afternoon.

The search committee will continue to engage with the UMBC community and will ultimately develop a short list of outstanding candidates for the UMBC presidency. That list will be forwarded to the Board of Regents and to me, and the board will make the final selection.

I thank all the committee members for taking on this work to find a leader who will build upon the university’s considerable success. The work of the search committee is beginning now, and I look forward to its progress.

Sincerely,
Jay A. Perman
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USM Chancellor Perman Appoints Presidential Search Committee for University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Baltimore, MD (Oct. 14, 2021) – Jay A. Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), has appointed—and the USM Board of Regents has approved—the search and screening committee for the new president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Current UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski will continue to lead the university through his retirement date of June 30, 2022.

In beginning the search for Hrabowski’s replacement, the Board of Regents has committed itself to finding a successor who will continue UMBC’s impressive strength in education and research, its commitment to access and affordability, its embrace of community service, and its leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

USM Regent Michelle Gourdine will chair the UMBC Presidential Search and Screening Committee, which has been chosen to reflect the UMBC community with representation among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other institutional stakeholders. The committee’s work will result in the submission of a short list of the most-qualified presidential candidates for the Board of Regents to consider.

“I’m grateful to Dr. Gourdine and all the search committee members who’ve signed on to this work, understanding what lies in the balance,” said Chancellor Perman. “Hiring exceptional presidents for our exceptional universities is one of the most important things our regents do. We know UMBC was transformed under Dr. Hrabowski, establishing itself as a leader in teaching, research, and equity—in student achievement and community engagement. So we know we need a president who can harness the scholarly firepower of UMBC’s people, who can harness untapped potential, to keep that national—and international—prominence rising.”

The members of the committee are:

Michelle Gourdine, Search Committee Chair—Regent, University System of Maryland

Brian Barrio—Director of Athletics

Lee Blaney—Associate Professor, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Belay Demoz—Director, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology

Kathy Dettloff—Associate Vice President, Administration and Finance

Mehrshad Fahim Devin ’21—President, Student Government Association

Ellen Fish—Regent, University System of Maryland

Patricia Florestano—Former USM regent and Former Secretary, Maryland Higher Education Commission

Brian Frazee ’11, ’12—President, Alumni Association Board, Vice President, Government Affairs for the Maryland Hospital Association

Beatriz Gutierrez-Malagon— Co-Secretary, Professional Staff Senate, Coordinator for Leadership, Campus Life

Preminda Jacob—Associate Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

William LaCourse—Dean, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Carole McCann—Professor and Chair, Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies

Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88—Vice Provost, Office of Enrollment Management and Planning

Sarah Shin—Associate Provost, Office of Academic Affairs

Orianne Smith—President, Faculty Senate, Associate Professor, English

Joel Tyson ’18—President, Graduate Student Association

Shelly Wiechelt—Associate Dean and Chair, Department of Social Work

Melody Wright, ’21—President, Nonexempt Staff Senate, Academic Business Services Specialist, Biological Sciences

The committee will work with the national leadership recruiting firm Isaacson, Miller.

The committee's work will conclude with its recommendation of finalists for consideration by the chancellor and the Board of Regents. The board will make the final selection. Historically, the search process for a president at most USM institutions has taken four to six months.

In the meantime, community members may use this link to nominate an outstanding individual to be considered as UMBC’s next leader, as well as take a short survey to provide input on what they believe should be the leadership qualities and priorities of the incoming president.