Inauguration of Darryll J. Pines
April 19 – 24, 2021
Dr. Darryll J. Pines was officially installed as the 34th President of the University of Maryland on April 22, 2021 during a week-long inauguration celebration. During his investiture ceremony, he announced five bold actions to Move Maryland Forward. These inaugural initiatives reflect the university’s mission, values, traditions and culture and reinforce his two priorities: ensure excellence in all that we do; and create a more inclusive, multicultural community for all.
Five Bold Actions to Move Maryland Forward
Accelerate Climate Action: Net Zero Carbon Neutral Campus by 2025
The University of Maryland will accelerate its Climate Action Plan goal to become a Net-Zero Carbon Neutral campus by 2025 by implementing a combination of sustainability measures and the strategic purchase of carbon credits. The university will also replace its university-owned fleet - over 1,070 fossil-fuel vehicles - with an all-electric fleet by 2035. Read more in Maryland Today.
Expand Faculty Diversity
The FAMILE program—Faculty Advancement at Maryland for Inclusive Learning and Excellence—is a $40 million initiative to recruit and retain tenured and tenure-track faculty from underrepresented backgrounds to campus. Aimed at improving diversity among faculty across campus, the program will attract over 100 faculty over 10 years and will help ensure that students will interact and learn from scholars that not only look like them, but reflect UMD’s values. Read more in Maryland Today.
Honor Trailblazers in Maryland Athletics
The state-of-the-art football performance center, located in Cole Field House, is named Jones-Hill House to honor Billy Jones and Darryl Hill, two pioneering figures who officially broke the color barrier in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the sports of basketball and football. Jones was the first African-American to play basketball in the ACC, debuting at the University of Maryland in 1965, where he played in historic Cole Field House. Hill was the first African-American to play football in the ACC, starting with a truly historic season here at Maryland in 1963. Read more in Maryland Today.
Invest in Discovery, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
An investment of $200 million will help strengthen research, expand activities in innovation and entrepreneurship, and boost the university’s economic development ecosystem in the Discovery District. This investment will bring together resources and support needed for startups to advance global innovations in quantum. It will also target fields such as K-12 education, public health, bioscience, neuroscience, climate science, data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, computing and technology, and quantum science.
Expand Arts Programming Across Campus: Arts for All
Arts For All, an initiative that seeks to ensure that the arts are woven into the fabric of life at UMD, will support innovation and partnerships to foster creative and scholarly excellence among campus arts practitioners and scholars, and engage the entire campus community and local communities in collaborative creative practice. Read more in Maryland Today.