UConn Names Radenka Maric as 17th President Peter Morenus/UConn Photo
Maric, previously vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, has served as interim president since February 1 Radenka Maric, an acclaimed innovator in clean energy technology whose leadership as a vice president helped propel UConn to new heights in research funding, has been selected as the University’s 17th president. Maric has served as UConn’s interim president since Feb. 1, a period in which she raised its national profile by hosting leaders of several top federal agencies for on-campus visits to demonstrate UConn’s successes in various areas of research and academia. She also brought a highly student-centric focus to her interim presidency and says she will continue and expand those efforts in concert with others at UConn to prioritize student success and inclusion, access to mentoring and lifetransformative educational experiences, and their personal and professional fulfillment. The Board of Trustees unanimously confirmed Maric’s appointment Wednesday, saying she rose to the top of a highly competitive pool of candidates during the national search. Her five-year term began immediately upon the board’s vote. “Being named president of the University of Connecticut is the honor of a lifetime. I am proud and humbled to have your confidence and your trust,” Maric told trustees and audience members at Wednesday’s meeting. “I will work every day to continue to earn it, as well as that of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, patients, and many supporters.” Maric was vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship for five years – during which time UConn received record-high levels of grant funding — before becoming interim president earlier this year upon the departure of previous Interim President Dr. Andrew Agwunobi. Maric joined UConn’s School of Engineering faculty in 2010 and holds the rank of Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor. She is also the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund Professor of Sustainable Energy in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In her eight months as UConn’s interim president, Maric has hosted visits from the leaders of the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Education, National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and several other high-level state and federal officials. 3
| UConn - Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2022
Radenka Maric, UConn's 17th President. She also teamed with Gov. Ned Lamont, other state leaders, and a UConn contingent in a highly successful economic development mission to Israel; and hosted Theresia Bauer, Germany’s Minister for Science, Research, and the Arts when Bauer spoke at the Neag School of Education’s undergraduate commencement ceremony. Maric was among more than 150 applicants for the position, from which previous President Thomas C. Katsouleas stepped down in July 2021. She said Wednesday that among her many priorities, she plans to put students first and “lead with love and compassion,” ensuring their academic success and a positive college experience at UConn. She added that the University will strive to cultivate trust among the campus community and statewide; provide students with vital resources, including those addressing mental and physical well-being; ensure affordability and accessibility; serve the state’s economic development needs; and build strong connections with alumni, elected officials, philanthropic supporters, and others. Maric is the first internal candidate to be named to the position since Harry Hartley was selected president in 1990, and is UConn’s second female president after President Emeritus Susan Herbst, who served from 2010 to 2019. “She is a force of nature: deeply committed to UConn, determined to get results, and all-in when it comes to leading this institution into a future that will be defined by success and achievement,” UConn Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Toscano said Wednesday. He noted that Maric is deeply committed to student success and well-being; diversity and inclusion in the student body and workforce; supporting and growing the University’s research enterprise, including through innovations in emerging technologies; and engaging stakeholders across many realms such as alumni, families, UConn Health patients, fans of UConn Athletics, and others.