Susan C. Aldridge Named New President

of University of Maryland University College

 

Picture of Aldridge

Adelphi, Md. (November 29, 2005)—David H. Nevins, chair of the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents, announced today the appointment of Susan C. Aldridge as president of University of Maryland University College (UMUC). Vice Chancellor of Troy University's University College and eCampus, Aldridge will begin her new position February 1, 2006.

The University System of Maryland is planning a reception to introduce Aldridge to UMUC, USM, and the State of Maryland. USM will announce details about the event soon.

During the past year, Aldridge has served as vice chancellor of University College and the eCampus for Troy University (formerly Troy State University ) in Troy, Alabama.  The university's eCampus is the nation's second largest distance learning program at a public university. UMUC offers the nation's largest.

As vice chancellor, Aldridge serves as chief executive officer for Troy University's graduate and undergraduate degree programs outside of Alabama in 17 states, 14 countries, and 13 time zones. The campuses for which Aldridge has responsibilities include 62 locations internationally and domestically. Supported by a $70-million budget, the campuses serve some 20,000 students with more than 103,000 enrollments annually.

Since 1995, Aldridge also has been an adjunct professor at Troy, teaching master's degree courses in business, health administration, health policy, and organizational behavior and theory.

"The USM Board of Regents believes that Dr. Aldridge is the right person to lead University of Maryland University College," said Nevins. "Her distinguished career spans higher education, business, and government. Moreover, her wealth of experience and success as the CEO of an institution that is very similar to UMUC will serve the students and the University System of Maryland well as we position UMUC for significant growth in the years ahead."

Aldridge joined University College at Troy State University in 1996 as director of its Western Region. In 2000, she was appointed director of the institution's international programs. Just one year later, Aldridge was appointed vice president of Troy State's University College, and later, vice chancellor.

From 1973 to 1996, Aldridge's positions included serving on the faculty of the National University of Singapore and lecturing at Hong Kong University (teaching management, organizational behavior, and policy analysis); division director for the Denver Regional Council of Governments; and vice president of Aldridge and Associates, Inc., a company that researched, designed, conducted, and managed national and international education institutes.

"I am very pleased to welcome Susan Aldridge to the University System of Maryland community," said USM Chancellor William E. Kirwan. "She brings extraordinary leadership ability, tremendous commitment to academic quality and integrity, and strong strategic and financial planning skills to University of Maryland University College.

"I would also like to thank the search committee for its work. Under the leadership of Donald S. Orkand, co-founder of DC Ventures and Associates, LLC, and founder of The Orkand Corporation, the committee did an outstanding job of reviewing candidates and identifying finalists for review by the USM Board of Regents and me.

"In addition, we very much appreciate the excellent leadership that UMUC Provost Nicholas Allen is providing as University College's interim president. His performance during this period is serving UMUC extremely well."

Aldridge has achieved many successes as a higher education leader. For example, she conducted the due diligence work and contract negotiations for Troy University's international site locations. She managed locations in Japan, Korea, Germany, Cuba, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, and India, as well as sites in the United States.

Aldridge also served on the board of the Alabama Governor's Distance Learning Task Force and on the Alabama World Trade Organization Board. This year, she was elected to the board of the International Association of Business Disciplines.

Her many honors and awards include recognition by the State of Colorado for "Outstanding Leadership" and the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also is chair of the 2006 U.S.-China Forum on Distance Education and she co-chaired the 2005 U.S. Department of Defense Task Force on Distance Learning Standards.

"I am excited about the wonderful opportunity to lead University of Maryland University College," said Aldridge. "University of Maryland University College is uniquely positioned for exponential growth because of its name recognition and its reputation as a quality higher education institution serving non-traditional students globally. I look forward to working with this university, dedicated to providing excellent online programs to students in Maryland, throughout the United States, and around the world."

Aldridge received her doctorate and master's degrees, both in public administration, from the University of Colorado. She received her bachelor's degree in sociology/psychology from Colorado Women's College.

Aldridge will succeed Gerald A. Heeger who served as president of UMUC for six years. He stepped down in August 2005 to become president of Whitney International University, a new international education initiative. Since August, Nicholas H. Allen, UMUC provost, has served as interim president.

Headquartered in Adelphi, University of Maryland University College is one of the 13 institutions comprising the University System of Maryland. With online enrollments reaching more than 143,000 in fiscal year 2005, UMUC is one of the world's largest virtual universities. In addition to serving students in Maryland and throughout the United States, UMUC delivers academic programs to U.S. military and their dependents in 28 countries under contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense.

To learn more about University of Maryland University College, visit: www.umuc.edu.

 

Contact: Anne Moultrie

301.445.2722
E-mail: amoultrie@usmd.edu