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Academic Affairs Visionary Irwin L. "Irv" Goldstein to Leave Position as Senior Vice Chancellor at End of Academic Year

Adelphi, Md. (Nov. 10, 2011) -- Irwin L. "Irv" Goldstein, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§ (USM), will leave his position on June 30, 2012, the official end of the academic year. A tenured faculty member at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), Goldstein will work on special projects for the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§office and the UMCP campus.

A former dean and department chair at UMCP who performed numerous special leadership assignments at the USM's flagship campus, Goldstein, 74, joined the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§office in November 2003 as vice chancellor for academic affairs. He was named senior vice chancellor in July 2006.

"I feel a special debt of gratitude to Irv for his superb work during these many years at the College Park campus and for the University System of Maryland, particularly his leadership of academic affairs at ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§the past eight years. He truly will be missed," said ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§Chancellor William E. "Brit" Kirwan.

Chancellor Kirwan in the coming weeks will launch a search for Goldstein's successor, whose service would begin in July 2012 upon Goldstein's departure. Goldstein will assist the new vice chancellor in making that person's transition to the academic affairs leadership as seamless as possible.

Early in Goldstein's service with the system office, the USM in 2004 launched the Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative (E&E) to reduce costs and improve overall operations while maintaining quality. The system has received national acclaim for its E&E efforts, including course redesign led by the Office of Academic Affairs under Goldstein's stewardship. Provosts have taken ownership of course redesign and components of the E&E agenda to help increase retention and graduation rates.

"At USM, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work with my colleagues on the numerous and complex issues facing higher education," Goldstein said. "But most of all, I have really appreciated the chance to work as part of a team and the support and friendships that have evolved over the years. I am especially grateful to Brit Kirwan for his friendship and support."

In leading the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§Academic Affairs Advisory Council (AAAC), Goldstein oversaw development of work groups at ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§institutions that attained measurable successes in such chancellor's priorities as the Closing the Achievement Gap Initiative and the STEM (for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and Competitiveness Initiative. 

"One of the wonderful things to happen is that, through AAAC, the provosts have come through to take on major academic issues such as course redesign and closing the achievement gap," Goldstein said. "I'm quite proud of that group's achievement. I have worked with superb provosts over the years."

Goldstein has also guided ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§regional centers to enhance their academic viability, served as a principal adviser to the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§Board of Regents Committee on Education Policy, and contributed to the successful disaggregation of the former University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute.

"Irv Goldstein will really be missed. I am extremely appreciative of the guidance Irv and his fine staff have given me in my role as a committee chair," said Patricia Florestano, vice chair of the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§Board of Regents and chair of the board's Committee on Education Policy.

"It is impossible to overstate my appreciation for Irv Goldstein as a colleague whose advice and perspective have served the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§so well," Kirwan said. "Irv and I have been friends and colleagues for 35 years. He has brought to the university system not only great expertise but the wisdom of a valuable adviser and facilitator."

Goldstein first joined the psychology faculty at UMCP in 1966, attaining the rank of professor in 1972. He held several prominent academic leadership positions at the university, including acting dean for graduate studies and research (1983-84) and acting vice president for academic affairs and provost (1988-89).

For 10 years beginning in July 1981, he was chair of the psychology department. He was then elevated to a dean's position, as dean of the UMCP College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He served as dean from 1991 through 2003 before joining the ´óÄ̸£Àû¼§office as vice chancellor.

"While I am quite sorry to see Irv Goldstein leave his USM position, I am so happy to have had the opportunity to work with him," said Joyce Shirazi, a faculty member at University of Maryland University College and chair of the Council of University System Faculty. "I valued Irv's vast insight into the communication of important information, academia, and simply life in general."

Goldstein earned his Ph.D in applied psychology from UMCP in 1964, after completing his master's work in general psychology at UMCP in 1962. He holds a bachelor's degree from City College of New York. The recipient of numerous professional honors, he was the 2001 recipient of the University of Maryland President's Medal, the 1995 Swanson Award for Research Excellence of the American Society for Training and Development, and the 1992 Distinguished Service Contribution Award of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu