June 2005

By Andrea Martino

UMUC Provost Nicholas H. Allen and UMUC President Gerald A. Heeger

UMUC Provost Nicholas H. Allen has been chosen to serve as the University’s interim president, effective at the conclusion of UMUC President Gerald Heeger’s tenure on August 30, 2005. William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, announced the appointment earlier this month.

“As the chief academic officer of [University of Maryland] University College, Provost Allen has been the architect of the University’s phenomenal growth in online education,” said Kirwan. “He is a longtime and highly respected member of the UMUC community and is well positioned to maintain stability during this time of transition, ensuring that UMUC’s impressive momentum continues unabated.”

Allen has served as provost and chief academic officer at UMUC since 1998. He joined the University in 1987 as a senior faculty member and director of general management and executive programs. In 1991, Allen was appointed dean of the University’s Graduate School of Management and Technology, which has emerged as one of the largest schools of management on the East Coast.

As provost, Allen has overseen UMUC’s emergence as one of the world’s largest virtual universities with online enrollments reaching more than 126,000 last year. He also oversees the delivery of UMUC academic programs to U.S. military personnel and their dependents in 28 foreign countries, under contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense.

“It has been a joy to work with Nick Allen for the past six years,” said Heeger. “He will ensure that UMUC will continue to provide our students the educational experiences they so richly deserve. Nick’s reputation as a champion of excellence in education has been recognized throughout the University System of Maryland and by our many corporate and academic partners worldwide.”

Allen is highly regarded for his contributions to higher education. Since 2000, he has participated regularly in national and international forums on distance education. Currently, he serves on the Core Programme Committee for the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro next year. The conference gathers world experts and representatives of leading distance-education institutions.

Allen received his BS from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, MBA from Oklahoma City University, and MPA and DPA degrees from George Washington University. He and his wife, Eva, a collegiate professor of art history at UMUC, reside in Crofton, Maryland.