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THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND INAUGURATES PRESIDENT DARRYLL J. PINES This article is republished with permission by UMD Right Now, published April 22, 2021. The entire article can be found at www.umdrightnow.umd.edu
The University of Maryland celebrated the formal installation of Dr. Darryll J. Pines as its 34th President with a week of events showcasing the university’s excellence. During his investiture ceremony, President Pines announced five bold actions that reflect the university’s mission, values, traditions and culture and reinforce his two priorities for his leadership: ensuring excellence in all that we do and creating a more inclusive, multicultural community for all. “This is our time to reinvent our University,” said President Pines. “This is the time to examine the future of learning to enhance the student experience; the future of work for faculty and staff to reach a new level of excellence; and a new model of research to accelerate and advance science and human understanding. I look forward to engaging with the entire community around these shared goals -- to re-imagine our campus and community as a modern flagship research university in the third decade of the 21st century.” President Pines shared the following five key initiatives during his investiture ceremony: • Accelerate Climate Action: Net Zero Carbon Neutral Campus by 2025 • Expand Faculty Diversity: FAMILE • Honor Trailblazers in Maryland Athletics • Invest in Discovery, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development • Expand Arts Programming Across Campus: Arts for All “In this moment in time, these five bold actions will help validate who we are, what we stand for, and where we are headed,” said Pines. “We are a land-grant public research university that serves the public good for all of humanity.” Pines began his presidency while the world was experiencing a time of remarkable disruption and uncertainty. He started on July 1, 2020, in the midst of two pandemics - both COVID-19 and long-standing racial injustice. On his first day, he outlined twelve initiatives and recommendations to reaffirm the university’s commitment to the institution’s core mission and values, and called for unity to help address some of the world’s most pressing grand challenges. “I couldn’t be happier for President Pines on his investiture,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “But, of course, Dr. Pines has been on the job for a while. He came to the presidency in the midst of crisis, and he’s already confronted unprecedented challenges in the position—challenges none of us imagined before the pandemic. And he’s shown the extraordinary vision, leadership, and compassion that I know will characterize his tenure.” april - june 2021- 1