May 2005

By Andrea Martino

President Gerald Heeger

UMUC President Gerald Heeger, in an e-mail to UMUC personnel dated May 4, 2005, announced that he will step down in August 2005, following a six-year tenure, to assume the presidency of a new, for-profit international educational initiative in Texas—Whitney International University—later this year.

“My experience at UMUC in Maryland and my work at both public and private higher education institutions—notably the University of Virginia and New York University, respectively—has been most fulfilling,” said Heeger, 62. “Throughout my career, I have recognized the growing demand for higher education worldwide. The need for educational collaborations—public and private—at every level is exciting to me and I know UMUC will continue to be at the forefront of such partnerships that Whitney International University will establish.”

Heeger’s career in higher education has taken him around the globe, beginning in India and Pakistan, where he served a Fulbright-Hayes Senior Faculty Research Fellowship, studying the politics of South Asia. During his tenure at UMUC, the University continued its steady growth, bolstering its reputation as a provider of high-quality online instruction while continuing to provide traditional, face-to-face instruction in classrooms throughout Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and overseas. In 2001, the University received the first Sloan-Consortium award for institution-wide asynchronous online programming and in 2004 won the International Council for Open and Distance Education’s Prize of Excellence, the highest international honor granted in recognition of excellence in distance education.

“With vision, innovation, and unwavering commitment, President Heeger has led University College’s transformation into the country’s leading provider of online education,” said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM). “Thanks to his exemplary leadership, [UMUC] is recognized as an invaluable asset statewide, nationwide, and worldwide. Moreover, the institution is well positioned for continued growth and to play a major role in helping the university system handle the burgeoning enrollment we anticipate in the next decade. While the USM community will miss President Heeger, we wish him great success in his new leadership position.”