TerrapinSTRONG

Dear Terrapins, I write to you today to commend the leadership of Black student leaders who have agreed to partner with me and other university leaders to pursue an anti-racist agenda here at the University of Maryland. On July 1, my first day ...

Earlier today, Joseph Biden was announced as the 46th President of the United States. Though legal challenges remain, this announcement marks a path forward in the American presidency.

Be assured that our commitment to safety is unwavering and we work closely with community partners to promote safety in our community.

Dear University of Maryland community, As we fight two pandemics - COVID-19 and racial injustice - it pains and angers me that we continue to see the senseless shooting of Black people. This includes Jacob Blake and the many before him who have been ...

Transparency and testing are two key measures in our plans for the gradual reopening of campus. It is important that we understand and track the presence of COVID-19 in our community, and we must continue to test for coronavirus in order to curb the spread. Today, we officially launch our public COVID-19 campus dashboard that will provide our community with transparent and timely data about the prevalence of COVID-19 within our campus, based on UMD-administered testing.

I have proudly served as your president for one week, and I continue to prioritize keeping you informed as we remain physically distant and dispersed. Seven days in, I want to provide some important updates to our community:

Today is my first day as the 34th President of the University of Maryland. I have been on our campus for more than 25 years as an Assistant Professor, Department Chair, and Dean. Now, I am honored and humbled to be leading our great university in the third decade of the 21st century. My wife, Sylvia, and our two children love the University and the great state of Maryland. We have proudly raised two Terps! We are all part of the greater Terrapin Family and we are excited about our collective future.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., once said that: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where one stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where one stands in times of challenge and controversy."