Press Release - Interim Director Named for Hagerstown Center August 30, 2000 USM Names Frostburg's Shaw as Interim Project Director for Hagerstown Center James W. Shaw, director of Frostburg State University's satellite center in Hagerstown, MD, has been named interim project director for the Hagerstown Education Center, a new multi-institution education venture currently in the planning stages at the University System of Maryland (USM). Shaw's responsibilities for the USM will include the development of facilities and programs in conjunction with the USM and its 13 member institutions. He also will act as a liaison to local and state officials, the area business community, and the public. The appointment is effective immediately. He also will continue in his position for Frostburg State. The Hagerstown Center, to be located in the renovated and rehabilitated Baldwin House complex in downtown Hagerstown, is currently in the early stages of site planning and preparation. Plans call for construction to begin in November 2001, with occupancy of the facility to follow in early fall 2003. Charles R. Middleton, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the USM, said Shaw brings an abundance of experience in creating a university center to the Hagerstown project. "Having Jim as our interim director will give us a good set of eyes and ears in Washington County," Middleton said. "He knows this community very well, and he will give us a lot of good advice in making the center a major asset for all of western Maryland." Shaw has been at Frostburg State since 1993. Prior to that, he served for 22 years as an associate dean and director of academic advising at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He also taught literature at UMass. He served as an assistant dean and director of academic advising at the University of Michigan for five years before that. Shaw received a master's degree in English at the University of Michigan in 1957. He received a doctorate in English from the same institution in 1966. He served a two-year term as president of the National Association of Academic Affairs Administrators beginning in 1977. He also is a member of the American College Personnel Association. Contact: Chris Hart Phone: 301/445-2739 Pager: 301/507-2316 E-mail: chart@usmd.edu
