4th Chancellor Named to Univ. System of MD

Posted for Del. John Bohanan

Effective July 1, 2015, Robert Caret will become the fourth chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

Dr. Claret follows William “Brit” Kirwan who was among the architects of the structure for the University System which has proven a successful model for expanding higher education offerings and raising standards across the state. The successful expansion of the University System of Maryland into a bricks and mortar presence in Southern Maryland was touted repeatedly by Dr. Kirwan as likely his final accomplishment of his 12 years as chancellor.

The beginning of this presence in Southern Maryland is already in place at the St. Mary’s County regional airport where the University of Maryland’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site is located.

As a result of funding Dr. Kirwan credits to efforts by Del. John Bohanan, the University System of Maryland is also preparing to break ground next door to the St. Mary’s airport and build classroom and research labs on the campus of the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.

Dr. Caret left the Maryland system in 2011 after serving as president and provost at Towson University near Baltimore and became president of the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Caret had “earned praise for his aggressive lobbying for education spending,” according to The Boston Globe’s reporting his acceptance of the chancellorship of the University System of Maryland.

The UMass system, according to The Boston Globe, includes five campuses. The University System of Maryland has 12 campuses.

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) offered congratulations to “Dr. Robert Caret as the next chancellor of the University System of Maryland. Dr. Caret is an accomplished leader with decades of experience that make him an excellent choice to guide USM into its next chapter of success. The health and economic well-being of our great state depends upon the strength and innovation of our public universities. As the current president of the University of Massachusetts and past president of Towson University, one of USM’s 12 institutions, Dr. Caret knows what needs to be done to ensure that Maryland’s universities remain among the best in the nation.

“I would also like to express my sincerest gratitude to my friend, current Chancellor William ‘Brit’ Kirwan for 12 years of outstanding service to the University System of Maryland. He will be greatly missed. I’m confident that Dr. Caret will continue to be a tireless advocate for education, and I look forward to working with him in the years to come.”