USM Board of Regents Appoints Dr. Mark R. Ginsberg as Next President of Towson University
Ginsberg to Join Towson from Current Position as Provost and Executive Vice President at George Mason University, Will Succeed Former President Kim Schatzel
Baltimore, MD. (August 2, 2023) – The University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents has appointed Dr. Mark R. Ginsberg as the next president of Towson University. Ginsberg, currently the provost and executive vice president of George Mason University (Mason), will begin his tenure as Towson University president on October 30.
Ginsberg serves as the provost and executive vice president of George Mason University, the largest public research university in Virginia and a Carnegie Research One (R1) institution, a position he has held since September 2020. He joined Mason in 2010 as the dean of the College of Education and Human Development, began serving as Interim Provost and Executive Vice President in April 2020 and was appointed as Mason’s Provost later that year.
Ginsberg's career spans more than a 40-year period as a professor, psychologist and skilled administrator. He has published extensively in the areas of education, psychology, human development and human services. In addition, he has lectured and presented at over 200 conferences, seminars and other educational meetings and professional development events, both within the United States and internationally.
From 1999-2010, Ginsberg served as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Prior to joining NAEYC, he was chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Graduate Division of Education at The Johns Hopkins University and a member of the faculty of both the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine. He had served as a member of the Hopkins full-time and part-time faculty for more than 20 years.
Ginsberg will succeed Kim Schatzel, who led the university with distinction as president since 2016 before becoming president of the University of Louisville. TU Provost Melanie Perreault has led the university as interim president since Feb. 1.
“I know the entire board is extremely pleased to have a leader of the caliber of Dr. Mark Ginsberg as the next president of Towson University,” Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden said. “I am confident that Dr. Ginsberg will build on President Schatzel’s outstanding work and continue Towson University’s trajectory as one of region’s most innovative and fastest-growing universities. I especially appreciate the work of the TU presidential search committee, chaired by Regent Ellen Fish, for finding such an outstanding leader among many highly regarded candidates.”
“I am thrilled to join the Towson University community and work in close collaboration with the faculty, staff and students, alumni, and friends of the university as well as the University System of Maryland as we together lift TU to ‘greater greatness’ as an ‘engine of opportunity’ in its next era,” Ginsberg said.
“Mark has a habit of rising at every organization he joins,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “He’s told me he intends to center the vision of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, and invite them to imagine the future of TU together. So I’m excited to see how his collaborative leadership shapes Towson’s next chapter and accelerates achievement of the goals that all of TU holds close.”
Before joining Johns Hopkins, Ginsberg held the position of Executive Director of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) from 1986-93. From 1981-86, he was a senior member of the management staff of the American Psychological Association (APA) after having been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester.
Ginsberg serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the respected international early childhood education focused organization, Parents as Teachers (PAT). He also serves as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO), the national organization of university Provosts, as well as Hopecam, a non-profit organization that supports children with cancer and their families. He has served as an appointed member of the Fairfax County (VA) Successful Children and Youth Policy Team. He is a Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and had served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions (CADREI) and the Board of Directors of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF). He also is a past-president of both the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), a nongovernmental organization of education and child/youth development focused NGOs in Europe and Central Asia, and the Society of Psychologists in Management (SPIM), now known as the Society of Psychologists in Leadership (SPIL).
He is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Maryland Psychological Association (MPA), and a Clinical Member and Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Ginsberg completed his master's degree in 1978 and his doctoral degree in 1981 at The Pennsylvania State University, after having been awarded a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1975. He also completed a Fellowship in Clinical Psychology at the Yale University School of Medicine. In 2006, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the State University of New York. Dr. Ginsberg is licensed as a psychologist in Maryland.
A nationally recognized leader in inclusive excellence, Towson University is a welcoming community for living and learning, and an important anchor institution for the greater Baltimore region. TU advances research and creates opportunities for the public good.
With more than 150 years of leadership advancing higher education, Towson University has established a rich history of academic success and continues to strategically look to the future with purpose and passion.
TU connects students to industry experts in intimate learning environments and never stops creating opportunities. TU is one of a handful of universities in the country, and the only university in Maryland, to have no achievement gap. Students learn in an inclusive environment where all students achieve the same academic success. TU also focuses on providing a well-rounded and dynamic student experience.
To learn more about Towson University, visit https: //www.towson.edu/.
The USM comprises 12 institutions: Bowie State University; Coppin State University; Frostburg State University; Salisbury University; Towson University; the University of Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; the University of Maryland, College Park; the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and the University of Maryland Global Campus. The USM also includes three regional centers—the Universities at Shady Grove, the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown, and the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland—at which USM universities offer upper-division undergraduate and graduate courses.
Systemwide, student enrollment is roughly 165,000. The USM and its institutions compete successfully for nearly $1.5 billion in external grants and contracts annually. USM institutions and programs are among the nation's best in quality and value according to several national rankings. To learn more about the University System of Maryland, visit www.usmd.edu.
Contact: Paul Stackpole
Phone: 410.576.5750
Email: pstackpo@usmd.edu
