Marie Cini, PhD, UMUC provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, has been elected to a one-year term.

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — The Online Learning Consortium, known as OLC, the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of online learning worldwide, today announced that Marie Cini, PhD, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at University of Maryland University College, has been elected president of the OLC Board of Directors. Her one-year term began on January 1, 2016. Cini succeeds Joel Hartman, EdD, vice president of information technology and resources at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

"I am delighted to welcome Dr. Cini as OLC's new board president and I look forward to working with her on the board's strategic priorities for OLC and our community," said Kathleen Ives, DM, CEO and executive director, OLC. "I also wish to thank Joel Hartman for his exceptional leadership and counsel during these past two years in which OLC has experienced tremendous progress on our path to excellence and growth."

"This is an exciting and important time to be involved in online and digital learning," said Cini, who has served on the OLC board since 2012 and was also recognized by OLC among its 2014 class of fellows for exceptional professional excellence. "OLC has set the standard for quality online education, and it will continue to set the standard for excellence in the next phase of online learning, which will increasingly involve learner analytics, adaptive and other digital courseware, and more flexible models. I am honored to help OLC continue in its role to lead the national conversation. I am honored to serve in this position and wish to also thank UMUC President Javier Miyares, whose support of national quality and access in online learning is inspirational. His support truly allows me to commit to the demands of this role."

Cini, whose academic career spans more than 25 years, joined UMUC, the nation's premiere online public university dedicated to serving working adults and active-duty military personnel around the world, in 2008. She was named to her current position as provost in 2013 and served previously as vice president and dean for The Undergraduate School. She has a broad academic background as a faculty member, scholar, and administrator in both undergraduate and graduate program development and management.

After earning doctoral and master's degrees in social psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a master's degree in counselor education from the Pennsylvania State University, Cini began her career in higher education teaching adult students. She later administered programs for adults at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; undertook various roles at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey; and served as associate vice president for academic affairs and interim dean of the School of Management at City University of Seattle in Washington.

Cini has published and presented extensively on the topics of authentic assessment and academic integrity, leadership development in adult learners, retention and adult learners, and curriculum design for adult students. Her current interests are focused on the future of technologically enabled postsecondary education.

About the Online Learning Consortium

The Online Learning Consortium, formerly the Sloan Consortium, is the leading professional organization devoted to advancing the quality of online learning worldwide. The member-sustained organization offers an extensive set of resources for professional development and institutional advancement of online learning, including original research, leading-edge instruction, best-practice publications, community-driven conferences, and expert guidance. OLC members include educators, administrators, trainers, and other online learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies, and corporate enterprises. Visit the Online Learning Consortium for more information.