Press Release - USM Names Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
June 4, 2002
USM Names Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Donald F. Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science (UMCES), today was named interim vice chancellor for
academic affairs for the University System of Maryland (USM). Boesch succeeds
Charles R. Middleton, who has been named president of Roosevelt University.
Joseph F. Vivona, interim chancellor for the USM, announced Boesch's
appointment, effective July 1, 2002.
"Don brings great experience and perspective to this critical
position," said Vivona. "As one the system's longest-serving
presidents, his leadership of the academic affairs office will be both informed
and inspired."
William E. "Brit" Kirwan, who will become the USM chancellor on August
1, also praised Boesch.
"Having worked with Don during my tenure at College Park, I know that the
academic affairs responsibilities of the USM office are in good hands,"
said Kirwan.
Boesch, who will continue as president of UMCES, a position he has held since
1990, will serve as interim vice chancellor until a new vice chancellor is
appointed. A national search to fill the position will begin soon.
"I look forward to working with all of the USM institutions on the system's
many successful academic initiatives," said Boesch. "And I greatly
appreciate the opportunity to serve the entire system during this transition
period."
The USM vice chancellor for academic affairs is responsible for providing
leadership to the USM in academic planning and accountability, including program
review and student outcomes assessment; academic policy; faculty affairs;
student affairs; academic support services; research policy; and the USM's role
in the statewide K-16 initiative.
UMCES conducts comprehensive environmental research; trains graduate students;
develops public education programs about the environment; and advises public
agencies and others on environmental and natural resource management. UMCES
comprises three laboratories distributed across the state: Appalachian
Laboratory, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, and Horn Point Laboratory. In
addition, UMCES is responsible for the administration of the Maryland Sea Grant
College program, part of a network of 30 university-based programs across the
country involved in innovative marine research and education. With a special
focus on the Chesapeake Bay and funding from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and the State of Maryland, Sea Grant-supported
research targets practical problems with the aim of promoting wise use of marine
resources.
Nathan A. Chapman, Jr., chairman of the USM board of regents, called Boesch'
s appointment a "wonderful choice," saying, "The USM is very
fortunate to have someone of Don's ability and commitment, who is willing to
answer the call when he is needed."
A native of New Orleans, LA, Boesch received his B.S. from Tulane University and
Ph.D. from the College of William & Mary. He was a Fulbright postdoctoral
fellow at the University of Queensland and subsequently served on the faculty of
the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. In 1980 he returned to his
native state as the first executive director of the Louisiana Universities
Marine Consortium (LUMCON), where he was also a professor of Marine Science at
Louisiana State University. He was appointed president of UMCES in 1990.
Boesch is a biological oceanographer who has conducted research in coastal and
continental shelf environments along the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of
Mexico, eastern Australia and the East China Sea. He has published two books and
more than 60 papers on marine benthos, estuaries, wetlands, continental shelves,
oil pollution, nutrient over-enrichment, environmental assessment and monitoring
and science policy. Presently his research focuses on the use of science in
ecosystem management.
Don Boesch is active in extending knowledge to environmental and resource
management at regional, national and international levels. He has served as
science advisor to many state and federal agencies and regional, national and
international programs. He has chaired a number of committees and scientific
assessment teams that have produced reports on a wide variety of coastal
environmental issues.
Boesch and his wife, Michaelyn, live in Annapolis. Their daughter, Kristen,
lives in St. Petersburg, FL.
Contact:
Chris Hart
Phone: 301/445-2739
E-mail: chart@usmd.edu
Kirsten Frese (UMCES)
Phone: 410/228-9250 ext. 614
E-mail: kfrese@ca.umces.edu
