GW’s chief research officer Elliot Hirshman will leave his position in July to become provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Hirshman will replace UMBC’s current provost, Arthur Johnson, on July 1. There were more than 30 applicants for the position.
“The provost’s position at UMBC represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the teaching, research and service missions of a growing campus known for its innovative programs,” Hirshman said.
Greenword and Associates, a national search firm that was contracted by the 20-member provost search team at UMBC, nominated Hirshman for the provost position. The search team was composed of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff.
“My colleagues and I are delighted to welcome Dr. Hirshman to the UMBC community,” said UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski in a press release. “We are all very impressed by his reputation as a fine scholar, teacher and leader in both public and private universities. He is an important addition to the university and to Maryland.”
As GW’s first chief research officer, Hirshman has worked with more than 90 specialized research centers, institutes and every school within the University. He has sponsored research expenditures of $143 million per year, according to a press release.
Hirshman said University President Steven Knapp will likely be filling his position in the near future because one of his chief goals is enhancing research at the University.
“I anticipate that he will move quickly to recruit senior leadership to support and strengthen research at GW,” Hirshman said.
Also a psychology professor, Hirshman’s research focuses on the psychological and biological bases of memory and cognition, as well as the relationships between individual biological variables and cognitive processes.
“Understanding these modular influences may ultimately lead to the development of drugs and other procedures that enhance cognitive performance,” he said.
Before coming to GW in 2002, Hirshman chaired the department of psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver. He began his career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
