Kirwan to leave Ohio State for Maryland

(COLUMBUS) - President William E. Kirwan announced today that he will leave The Ohio State University on June 30 to become Chancellor of the University System of Maryland. Emphasizing that the new position is one he neither sought nor encouraged, Kirwan said that the proximity of family in Maryland was the overriding element in what he described as an “agonizing” and “wrenching” choice.

In a letter to the Ohio State campus community, Kirwan noted that his children and growing number of grandchildren reside in Maryland. “Patty and I will soon be 64, and at this stage of our lives, spending time with them is of paramount importance,” Kirwan wrote. “While both positions offer extraordinary professional challenges and rewards, the position in Maryland affords us the opportunity to continue doing important work in higher education while living near our family.

“The decision has caused me great anguish,” Kirwan continued, “because I feel enormously proud and privileged to serve as president of this university. I also have tremendous admiration for the talent and dedication of the members of the university community. Although we have faced significant challenges over the past four years, we are making very substantial progress. Until this offer came last week, it had been my expectation to remain at Ohio State for at least another year or two. Fortunately, the aspirations articulated in the Academic Plan and the Diversity Action Plan have become part of the University fabric and will, I am confident, live on long after my departure, whenever that might have been.”

Kirwan pledged to devote his full attention and energy to completing important projects currently under way at Ohio State, including faculty and staff compensation, planning for a new biomedical research tower, and launching the Gateway Project.

“I want to express my deep gratitude for the many e-mail messages, telephone calls, and letters that Patty and I have received,” Kirwan said. “I was especially moved by the demonstration of support at Friday’s Commencement. These expressions of goodwill made this decision all the more difficult for us. Indeed, leaving my position when such exciting changes are under way at Ohio State creates a sense of impending personal loss that we will carry with us. Patty and I treasure the friendships we have made in Ohio and will greatly miss our regular contact with the many friends and colleagues we have here. Please know that we will always cherish our time at Ohio State, a community that will remain dear to our hearts. And please know that we look forward to doing all we can over the next several months to continue to advance this great university.”

Kirwan became president of Ohio State in July 1998 after serving for 34 years in various capacities, including president, at the University of Maryland. He will begin his new duties on August 1.

Board of Trustees Chair David L. Brennan said that, “While the Board of Trustees is saddened by President Kirwan’s decision, and will miss him greatly, we appreciate his many contributions to Ohio State, particularly his leadership in developing and implementing the Academic Plan. The trustees remain fully committed to that plan,” Brennan continued, “and its goals of academic excellence, and are determined to position Ohio State among America’s top 10 public teaching and research universities by the year 2010.” Brennan said that over the next several days the trustees will determine the process it will employ to select a new president.

Since Kirwan’s arrival at Ohio State, he focused on transforming the university into an institution known for academic quality. Measures of academic achievement – ACT scores, students in the top 10 percent of their class and numbers of class valedictorians – increased significantly over the last four years.

In addition, total research and development expenditures grew from $236 million in 1998 to $377 million in 2001. Of that, awards from federal agencies for Ohio State research grew to $198 million in 2001, up from $135 million in 1998. Because of its research reputation, the university received four of the last seven Ohio Eminent Scholar positions.

Kirwan also presided over the university’s $1.23 billion fund-raising campaign, its largest ever and making it one of only a handful of public universities with an endowment of more than $1 billion. The campaign created 79 new endowed chairs and added more than $105 million to the university’s scholarship fund.

Kirwan made improving diversity on campus one of the university’s key priorities. In 2000, he introduced a Diversity Action Plan designed to improve the climate on campus for women and minorities and to attract greater numbers of diverse faculty and staff.

A community leader who believes higher education is the key to economic development, Kirwan spurred cooperation with local and state officials to enhance economic development and strengthen Ohio’s knowledge economy. With state support for higher education lagging, Kirwan has traveled Ohio to speak to the importance of greater investment in the state’s colleges and universities.