Education college dean Jennifer Rice will be the University of Maryland’s next provost, university President Darryll Pines announced Monday morning.
Rice will begin the role August 11, replacing interim provost Ann Wylie. Wylie has served in the position since former provost Mary Ann Rankin resigned from the post in January. The university launched an internal search to find the next provost.
“It is an honor to be selected as Provost at the University of Maryland, a place and community that I love and am proud to serve,” Rice said in a release. “I look forward to partnering with stellar academic colleagues and administrators to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate and succeed.”
Rice has served as the college’s dean since 2017. She started at the university in 1995 as an assistant professor, eventually becoming a professor in the education policy studies department.
She is also a University System of Maryland representative on the Maryland State Teacher Certification Advisory Council, and she has served as co-chair of the Maryland Education Deans and Directors Council, Pines wrote in a campuswide email Monday morning.
[In his inaugural address, President Darryll Pines shares his vision for UMD]
Before joining the university, Rice worked as a researcher at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, D.C. She is currently a fellow of the National Education Policy Center, and she previously served as president of the Association of Education Finance and Policy, Pines wrote in the email.
Rice earned her bachelor’s degree in English and mathematics at Marquette University before receiving her master’s and doctorate in education administration and social foundations from Cornell University.
“She’s highly collaborative and is truly innovative in what she’s done in the College of Education, and she’s gonna bring that to the job of provost,” Pines said in an interview with The Diamondback Monday morning. “It’s gonna be a really great addition to our team.”
