William English Kirwan
Encyclopedia
William English "Brit" Kirwan (born April 14, 1938 in Louisville, Kentucky
) is currently the third Chancellor of the University System of Maryland
(USM). Prior to that, Kirwan was the 26th President of the University of Maryland, College Park
and the 12th President of Ohio State University
. He was also a member of the faculty at the University of Maryland for 34 years.
Kirwan, the son of former University of Kentucky
President A. D. Kirwan
, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
fraternity , and a Master's and Ph.D.
from Rutgers University
in 1962 and 1964.
Kirwan started at the University of Maryland, College Park
as an assistant professor in the mathematics department, before going on to become a department chair, provost and ultimately university president. He helped lay the framework for the University System of Maryland
in 1988 and was named university president in 1989. Financial crises during his tenure led to double-digit tuition increases, reduced class offerings and student protests and also were the reason he cited for his departure in 1998.
At Ohio State, Kirwan focused his attention on improving the academic standings during his tenure. He left Ohio State in 2002 to become chancellor of the University System of Maryland
.
Kirwan is a nationally recognized authority on critical issues in higher education and is a sought after speaker on a wide range of topics, including diversity, access and affordability, cost containment, economic impact, gender equity, financial aid, and innovation. He is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and became its chair in May 2000. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; chairs the College Board's Commission on Access, Admissions, and Success in Higher Education; and is a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum. He was also appointed by President George W. Bush to the Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In April 2007, Kirwan was appointed to the editorial board of the newly announced Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, to be published quarterly by the American Psychological Association and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
Kirwan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, and the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. On February 15, 2007, he became the 16th recipient of the Maryland House of Delegates Speaker's Medallion, which recognizes Maryland citizens who have demonstrated exemplary service to the House and to the State of Maryland.
His nickname, "Brit," was given to him by his parents when he was a child, coming from his middle name. They didn't want William to be shortened to Bill, as was common.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
) is currently the third Chancellor of the University System of Maryland
University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland is a public corporation and charter school system comprising 12 Maryland institutions of higher education. It is the 12th-largest university system in the United States, with over 125,000 undergraduate, 43,000 graduate and roughly 13,000 combined full-time and...
(USM). Prior to that, Kirwan was the 26th President of the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and the 12th President of Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. He was also a member of the faculty at the University of Maryland for 34 years.
Kirwan, the son of former University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
President A. D. Kirwan
A. D. Kirwan
Albert Dennis Kirwan was the seventh President of the University of Kentucky. He also was the head football coach at the University from 1938-1944....
, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
fraternity , and a Master's and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1962 and 1964.
Kirwan started at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
as an assistant professor in the mathematics department, before going on to become a department chair, provost and ultimately university president. He helped lay the framework for the University System of Maryland
University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland is a public corporation and charter school system comprising 12 Maryland institutions of higher education. It is the 12th-largest university system in the United States, with over 125,000 undergraduate, 43,000 graduate and roughly 13,000 combined full-time and...
in 1988 and was named university president in 1989. Financial crises during his tenure led to double-digit tuition increases, reduced class offerings and student protests and also were the reason he cited for his departure in 1998.
At Ohio State, Kirwan focused his attention on improving the academic standings during his tenure. He left Ohio State in 2002 to become chancellor of the University System of Maryland
University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland is a public corporation and charter school system comprising 12 Maryland institutions of higher education. It is the 12th-largest university system in the United States, with over 125,000 undergraduate, 43,000 graduate and roughly 13,000 combined full-time and...
.
Kirwan is a nationally recognized authority on critical issues in higher education and is a sought after speaker on a wide range of topics, including diversity, access and affordability, cost containment, economic impact, gender equity, financial aid, and innovation. He is a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and became its chair in May 2000. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; chairs the College Board's Commission on Access, Admissions, and Success in Higher Education; and is a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum. He was also appointed by President George W. Bush to the Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In April 2007, Kirwan was appointed to the editorial board of the newly announced Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, to be published quarterly by the American Psychological Association and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.
Kirwan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, and the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. On February 15, 2007, he became the 16th recipient of the Maryland House of Delegates Speaker's Medallion, which recognizes Maryland citizens who have demonstrated exemplary service to the House and to the State of Maryland.
His nickname, "Brit," was given to him by his parents when he was a child, coming from his middle name. They didn't want William to be shortened to Bill, as was common.
Further reading
- Biography at the University System of Maryland
- Biography at the University of Maryland
- "Brit" Kirwan biography at The Ohio State University
- http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2006/04/19/NewsonCampus/The-Foundation-2325189.shtmlKirwan feature in The DiamondbackThe DiamondbackThe Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
] - Past Presidents of the Ohio State University