UMd. Appoints Mary Rankin as Provost

Mary Rankin, a longtime educator and advocate of the sciences, has been appointed the next provost of the University of Maryland, administrators announced Thursday.

Rankin will begin in the new role Oct. 1, taking the reins from Provost Ann G. Wylie.

The current CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, Rankin comes to UMd. with 17 years of experience as a dean of the University of Texas at Austin's College of Natural Sciences and six years as its chair of biological sciences.

Rankin is credited with launching several interdisciplinary research initiatives at UT Austin and leading the development UTeach, a program aimed at better training for math and science teachers.

In a statement, Rankin said she was "excited and honored" by the appointment.

"Public universities today are facing heightened challenges as well as new opportunities," she added. "I think the University of Maryland is particularly well positioned to succeed in this challenging time, and I look forward to helping it do so."

"Mary Ann is one of the most visionary and innovative academic leaders in the country, and we are extremely fortunate to have her as our new provost," UMd. President Wallace Loh said in a statement.

Rankin earned a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Louisiana State University and was awarded her doctorate in physiology and behavior from the University of Iowa in 1972. She also served as a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University before heading to UT Austin.