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Inspiring Academic Named UMD President
Wallace D. Loh arrived in the United States at
age 16 with little more than $200 and, he says,
"an unwavering faith in the promise of this
country."
Nearly 50 years later, the noted academic
and public servant has been named the 33rd
president of the University of Maryland. He
succeeds Dan Mote, who stepped down in
August after leading the university through 12
years of advancement.
"I am thrilled to be a Terp," Loh proclaimed
at an August event where he and his wife of 25
years, Barbara, were introduced to university
community. Loh said his is "a story that can only
happen in America, because it is not a story
about me. It is a story that the American dream
continues."
Loh was the unanimous choice of the
University System of Maryland Board of Regents
to lead the state's flagship campus. He was
selected after a six-month national search
chaired by Donald F. Kettl, professor and dean of
the School of Public Policy.
"Higher education is about providing opportunities
for students and helping them fashion
their own futures," Kettl says. "And there is no
better example that I can imagine than the life
story that Dr. Loh brings to this job. The campus
community is very excited about the prospects of
the Loh presidency."
Loh, who speaks four languages, was born in
Shanghai and spent his childhood in Lima, Peru.
His parents sent him to the U.S. after instilling in
him the values of "family, education and work, in
that order." After landing in Iowa, he earned his
bachelor's degree from Grinnell College, a master's
from Cornell University and a doctorate from
the University of Michigan, all in psychology, as
well as a law degree from Yale Law School.
Wallace Loh, shown (top) with predecessor C. D. Mote, Jr., wife Barbara (left, top) and USM Chancellor Brit Kirwan (left, below), was born in China and emigrated from Peru to Iowa in 1961.
Loh most recently was executive vice president
and provost at the University of Iowa, where
he oversaw budgets, personnel and planning in
the university's 11 colleges and other academic
units. He also served as dean of the University of
Washington Law School and has worked in the
Washington state government as a senior policy
adviser to the governor.
"What has this man not done?" said
Brit Kirwan, University System of Maryland
chancellor.
Loh anticipates his top priorities at
Maryland to be attracting and retaining the
best faculty, improving the local community and
"making sure that the students of today and
tomorrow have the same opportunities that I
have had."
He has already made a commitment to
support Maryland students with financial need,
pledging a gift of $100,000.
He assumes his role as president on Nov. 1,
with Nariman Farvardin, senior vice president
for academic affairs and provost, serving as
interim president until then.
—TV
Physical Sciences Complex Starts Taking Shape
 The elliptical glass
cone (above) of the
complex will reach
from the atrium to
the sky, providing
natural light for the
collaborative space
and corridors on
three floors.
Construction is under way
on a new research and teaching
facility that, when completed
in 2013, will rank among the
world's finest in helping scientists
unlock the secrets of the
universe, advance discoveries in
quantum physics and develop
new disease-fighting techniques
using biophysics.
The $128 million Physical
Sciences Complex broke
ground in May, with Gov. Martin
O'Malley saying that "discoveries,
technologies and innovations...hold the promise and
potential to remake our economy
by unlocking the solution to how
we can better feed, fuel, protect
and heal our planet."
The 158,068-square-foot
architectural jewel will house
the university's physics and
astronomy departments, as
well as the interdisciplinary
Institute for Physical Sciences
and Technology and the Joint
Quantum Institute, or JQI, a partnership
between the university
and the National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
The centerpiece of the
JQI collaboration will be the
Laboratory for Advanced
Quantum Science, featuring intricate
temperature controls and
vibration and electromagnetic
radiation isolation capabilities
that allow for groundbreaking
research in cryptography,
advanced computing and the
design and use of sophisticated
sensors. —TV
New Center Advocates Health Equity
 While health—care professionals
know more than ever about
preventing chronic conditions
like heart disease, diabetes and
certain types of cancer, getting that
information out to the public—particularly
to minorities—remains a
challenge.
A new center in the university's
School of Public Health will address
this problem head-on, through
research, innovative educational
programs and working with local
organizations to make for healthier
communities in the state and
beyond.
The Maryland Center for Health
Equity, launched in May, features
five community health researchers
recruited from the University of
Pittsburgh. Led by Stephen Thomas,
they intend to refine their successful
series of "low-tech, high-touch"
programs, such as sending doctors and nurses to places where people
feel comfortable-a business, community
center, local church or barbershop,
for example-to provide
free, regular blood pressure checks,
echocardiograms and prostate cancer
and audiology screenings.
“The people in the state of Maryland deserve the best that health science
can offer, where they live, work, play and worship.” —Stephen Thomas
"The people in the state of
Maryland deserve the best that
health science can offer, delivered
to them in a respectful manner
where they live, work, play and
worship," says Thomas, an expert in
behavioral science and health education
who is joined by colleagues
Sandra Crouse Quinn, James Butler,
Craig S. Fryer and Mary A. Garza.
Maryland's established framework
of programs committed to
eliminating health disparities was
a key factor in the team's decision
to move here, Thomas says. These
include the Herschel S. Horowitz
Center for Health Literacy, the
nation's first academic center
dedicated to improving health and
closing the health disparities gap;
and the Madieu Williams Center
for Global Health Initiatives, which
devotes particular attention to public
health needs in Prince George's
County, Md.
—TV
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