University Welcomes New President

After an extensive search, UMUC has selected a new president from a pool of more than 100 qualified candidates. Gerald A. Heeger, currently dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University (NYU), will assume his new position with UMUC in August.

Under Heeger’s leadership, NYU has established itself as a leader in industry-specific continuing professional education, offering certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees in fields that include financial services, real estate, hospitality management, information technology, and publishing.

Heeger was born in Akron, Iowa, and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He attended college at the University of California, Berkeley, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago. Specializing in South Asian political development, Heeger studied in India on a Fulbright scholarship and was a Fulbright-Hayes senior faculty research fellow in Pakistan.

After teaching at the University of Virginia, Heeger was appointed dean of University College at Adelphi University in 1980, where he subsequently served as both provost and executive vice president. In 1987, he became dean of the New School for Social Research, and in 1991, he assumed his post at New York University.

Leadership Donors Honored at Reception

A festive holiday setting was the backdrop for the 1998 reception in honor of the alumni and friends who during the year contributed leadership-level gifts to UMUC. Joining the university’s most significant donors at the December 3 event were the 1998–99 UMUC scholarship recipients.

More than 100 alumni, guests, and UMUC staff mingled with UMUC scholarship recipients as they shared their experiences in pursuing their higher education goals.

UMUC interim president, Robert "Skip" Myers, and his wife, Gretchen, hosted the event held at the UMUC Inn and Conference Center. Myers welcomed the crowd with heartfelt thanks to the more than 5,000 donors who have made it possible for UMUC students to pursue their dreams through scholarship support.

"UMUC brings hope and opportunity to those who, otherwise, would constitute the ‘forgotten many’ and fall outside of traditional higher education," Myers told the audience. "When you hear students and alumni tell their stories, and hear how truly grateful they are for having had a chance to realize a piece of the American dream of prosperity, it makes you enormously proud of what you do and whom you serve."

Melissa Hunt, a scholarship recipient, addressed the group and spoke of her experiences with UMUC when she was serving in the U.S. Navy in Sinop, Turkey, in the early ’90s.

"Something as simple as taking college courses has such an important impact on the lives of service members overseas," Hunt said. "These scholarships mean a lot to the recipients. The donors help us to help ourselves, and that means a great deal."

Alumni and friends contributed more than $300,000 during the 1998 Annual Alumni Giving Campaign, allowing the university to fulfill its mission of providing educational opportunities to working adults in ways that otherwise would not have been possible.

1998–99 Officers

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