June 2005

USM Chancellor Appoints Presidential Search Committee for UMUC

By Andrea Martino

	William E. Kirwan

William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM), has announced the formation of a search committee for UMUC’s fifth president since 1947. Chairing the search committee is Donald Orkand, co-founder of DC Ventures and Associates, LLC, and founder of The Orkand Corporation. Orkand also chairs UMUC’s Board of Visitors.

“I am very pleased with Don Orkand’s willingness to lead this important search,” said Kirwan. “As a highly successful entrepreneur, a supporter of higher education, and a long-time friend of the University System of Maryland, he will do a superb job.

“I am grateful to all members of the search committee who have volunteered their time to find a leader to position [University of Maryland] University College for even more growth, helping USM handle the burgeoning enrollment we anticipate during the next decade.”

Other representatives from the University’s Board of Visitors include UMUC faculty member Evelyn Bata and Sharon Pinder, Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs. Other UMUC representatives serving on the committee include Benjamin Birge, state and community relations; John Golembe, UMUC Europe; Shondraya Grant-Levy, institutional advancement; Javier Miyares, institutional planning and accountability; Salvatore Monaco and Alfred Raider, Graduate School of Management and Technology; and Christina Sax, School of Undergraduate Studies. UMUC alumni Jeffrey Brody, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Debra Young, U.S. Department of Commerce, have also been invited to serve.

Robert Pevenstein, a member of the USM Board of Regents and president of Princeville Partners, a merger and acquisition and business consulting firm, is the search committee’s liaison to the board. Katie Ryan, chief of staff to the USM chancellor, will serve as the liaison to his office.

Gerald Heeger, UMUC president for six years, will step down at the end of August to assume the presidency of a new international educational initiative in Texas. Upon his departure, UMUC Provost Nicholas Allen will serve as interim president while the committee continues its search.