Honoring Javier Miyares

July 24, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

It hardly seems possible, but it has been more than eight years since I postponed my retirement plans to accept the UMGC presidency. It has been my honor and privilege to lead this remarkable institution, and the intervening years have been most rewarding, both personally and professionally.

So today I am writing to say thank you, and to announce—with mixed emotions—that I have notified the chancellor of my intention to retire upon the appointment of a successor.

I wanted you to be the first to know and to say to each of you how proud I have been to serve as your president. Now, as always, I am deeply grateful for your dedication to our university, your belief in our mission, and your commitment to the success of our students.

Together, we have navigated a perfect storm in adult higher education by streamlining operations and consolidating as one global university. We have cemented our commitment to access and affordability by creating and expanding the Maryland Completion Scholarship program, and we have taken bold steps in establishing UMUC Ventures and in the addition of a majority shareholder in HelioCampus, yielding a fourfold return on investment. At the same time, we have established a groundbreaking education partnership with Amazon, bolstered our position as the nation's premier provider of education to the U.S. military, and negotiated the university's first name change in 50 years.

Now—perhaps most remarkable of all—we have maintained our operational stability in the face of a global pandemic that necessitated the abrupt shift to remote operations in order to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and guests. And we are the stronger for it.

In every case, our success has built on a foundation of flexibility and agility that dates back to our inception in 1947. That foundation—along with our mission—has remained unchanged for more than 70 years, and it will be central to our success going forward.

With seasoned leaders in key positions across the university, now more than ever I am confident that our future is bright, our legacy secure, and the time is right to identify a new president who will continue our momentum and guide University of Maryland Global Campus forward in the 21st century.

Thank you, as always, for your efforts on behalf of our students and for all we have achieved together. I look forward to speaking with you more personally and in greater depth at our next global Town Hall meeting this fall. The chancellor will announce the launch of a formal search in the coming weeks, and we will share additional updates as the search process moves forward and we prepare for this leadership transition.

Sincerely,

Javier Miyares