William E. “Brit” Kirwan has served as chancellor of the 12-institution University System of Maryland since 2002. He is a former president of Ohio State University (1998–2002) and of the University of Maryland, College Park (1988–1998). Kirwan is a sought-after speaker and consultant on a wide range of topics, including access, affordability, and completion; academic transformation; economic competitiveness and innovation; and increasing the number of students majoring in STEM fields. On the national level, Kirwan chairs the National Research Council Board on Higher Education and Workforce, chairs The College Board Advocacy and Policy Center Advisory Committee, and co-chairs the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. He also serves on the Business-Higher Education Forum and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity. Regionally, Kirwan is a member of the Governor’s P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland, the Governor’s International Advisory Board, and the Maryland Economic Development Commission. He co-chaired the Governor’s P-20 STEM Task Force, and also serves on the board of several organizations, including the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Kirwan has received many awards, including the 2010 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence and the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Leadership Award. Kirwan holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky and master's and doctoral degrees from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, all in Mathematics.
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, grants # 0822241, 1449550, 1650648, 1743807, and 1813076. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.