Wallace D. Loh Appointed President of
University of Maryland, College Park
Adelphi, Md. (August
17, 2010)-Clifford M. Kendall, chair of the University System of Maryland
(USM) Board of Regents, today announced
the appointment of Wallace D. Loh as president of the University of Maryland,
College Park (UMCP). Loh is currently executive vice president and provost of
The University of Iowa. His appointment as president of UMCP, USM's flagship
institution, is effective November 1, 2010.
"Dr. Loh is the right person to lead our flagship university
to its next level of greatness," said Chairman Kendall. "His wealth of experience
and achievements in higher education demonstrate his strong commitment to
excellence in teaching, research, and service and demonstrate his exceptional
ability to move institutions forward."
Loh has more than 30 years of experience in higher education.
As executive vice president and provost of The University of Iowa since 2008,
Loh has oversight responsibilities for budgets, personnel, and planning in the
university's 11 colleges and other academic units. The university enrolls
30,000 students and employs 4,895 faculty members. Its FY 2011 budget totals
$2.8 billion, including $440 million in sponsored research.
Loh also oversees the
implementation of the university's strategic plan that emphasizes focused
excellence in research and graduate education, expanded undergraduate
enrollment and student success, internationalization and diversity, and
partnerships with community colleges. With his oversight, Iowa has increased
the number of honor, minority, and international students; improved retention;
expanded international exchanges; and increased administrative efficiencies and
effectiveness.
Before joining The University of Iowa, Loh served as dean
and professor of public service and psychology at Seattle University
(1999-2008), director of policy and chief policy adviser for the State of
Washington's Office of the Governor (1997-99), vice chancellor for academic
affairs and dean of faculties at the University of Colorado-Boulder (1995-97),
and dean and professor of law at the University of Washington Law School
(1990-95).
During his service in Washington state government, Loh
assembled and staffed then-Governor Gary Locke's blue-ribbon "2020 Commission
on the Future of Postsecondary Education." Locke is currently the U.S.
Secretary of Commerce. The commission's work led to the implementation of the
"Washington Promise Scholarship," expanding affordable access to higher
education to thousands of low- and middle-income students.
"Dr. Loh brings a remarkable intellect, talent, and life
experience to the University of Maryland, College Park, the University System
of Maryland, and the state," said USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan. "His focus
on excellence, inclusion, internationalization of higher education,
cross-disciplinary research, and community outreach mirrors the priorities of
the system and the campus. We feel privileged to welcome him to our community."
Kirwan added: "I want
to express my deep gratitude to the presidential search committee. Under the
outstanding chairmanship of Donald F. Kettl, professor and dean of UMCP's
School of Public Policy, the committee of faculty, staff, students, and
university friends, and community representatives identified and screened an
outstanding pool of candidates. Dr. Loh rose to the top of this pool because
his accomplishments and values align so perfectly with the needs of the
university, the system, the state, and the nation."
Loh was born in Shanghai, China. He immigrated with his
family to Lima, Peru, graduated from high school there, and immigrated alone to
Iowa in 1961, supporting himself through higher education. He holds a J.D. from
Yale Law School, a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann
Arbor, an M.A. in psychology from Cornell University, and a B.A. in psychology
from Grinnell College.
Among his distinctions and awards are his election as
president of the Association of American Law Schools, the 1993 National
Asian-Pacific American Bar Association's "Trailblazer Award," and honorary
degrees from Grinnell College and Iowa Wesleyan College.
Active in his communities, Loh serves on Iowa Wesleyan
College's Board of Trustees. He also has served on the visiting board of the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the education committee
of the Seattle Opera.
Loh and his wife Barbara have been married for 25 years.
They have a daughter, Andrea, who is in college.
"I am thrilled to join the University System of Maryland to
work together with the other presidents-under the leadership of the Regents and
Chancellor Kirwan-for the advancement of the state's public higher education
system," said Loh. "I am deeply honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of
the flagship institution at College Park. Its rapid ascension to national
eminence is truly remarkable, a testament to the accomplishments and dedication
of the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters of the university.
"Building on the extraordinary successes of President Dan
Mote, I have ‘Great Expectations' that the university will continue its rise to
the highest tier of global excellence, creating better futures for the students
we serve and the state of Maryland."
Said Sally Mason,
president of The University of Iowa: "Wallace Loh has been a tremendous asset
to The University of Iowa and a valued, forward-looking member of my
administrative team for the past two years. He has proven himself to be one of
the nation's top academic leaders, and certainly is well-prepared to assume the
presidency of a major university. This is a wonderful opportunity for him, and
I'm confident that he will bring great vision and strategic direction to the
University of Maryland."
Loh will succeed C.D. (Dan) Mote Jr., who will step down
from the presidency on August 31 after leading the university through a 12-year
period of steady advancement to become one of the nation's top public
universities. Mote will continue at the university in his academic appointment
as Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering in the A. James Clark
School of Engineering.
Chancellor Kirwan has appointed Nariman Farvardin, provost
of UMCP, to serve as interim president until Loh arrives November 1.
One of the 12 institutions of the University System of
Maryland, the University of Maryland, College Park, is recognized nationally
and internationally as a center of academic and research excellence. UMCP enrolls more than 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students in its
13 colleges and schools and attracted more than $500 million in research
funding in fiscal year 2010. Faculty
members-full- and part-time-total nearly 4,000 and staff members total more
than 5,000. The operating budget totals nearly $1.6 billion.
UMCP continues to earn prestigious national and
international rankings. It is #1 in awarding undergraduate degrees to African
Americans according to Diverse Issues,
#8 among Kiplinger's 100 Best Values
in Public Colleges, and one of the nation's top-20 public universities
according to U.S. News & World
Report.
For more information about the University of Maryland,
College Park, visit: www.umd.edu
To access audio from the welcome reception held for Dr. Loh on Aug. 18, visit: http://newsdesk.umd.edu/universitynews/release.cfm?ArticleID=2213
Contact: Anne Moultrie
Phone: 301.445.2722
Email: amoultrie@usmd.edu
