Maine Educator Named UB Provost
March 31, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Joseph S. Wood, professor of geography and former provost and interim president of the University of Southern Maine, has been named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Baltimore. Wood was selected by UB President Robert L. Bogomolny following a national search by a UB committee working in tandem with the firm Greenwood/Asher and Associates and will begin his new position on July 1.
Wood began his academic career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he taught from 1977-87, and at George Mason University, where from 1987-2000 he served as a geography professor, chair of the Department of Geography and Earth Systems Science and vice provost for academic affairs. He became provost at the University of Southern Maine in 2000 and served as interim president for the 2007-08 academic year.
Wood earned a bachelor's degree from Middlebury College in 1968, a master's degree from the University of Vermont in 1974 and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in 1978, all in geography. He has published dozens of articles, chapters and reviews in peer-reviewed academic journals and books, focusing on North American cultural landscapes, urban architecture, historic preservation and related subjects. He is the author of the book The New England Village, originally published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1997. His recent publications have focused on ethnic communities in American suburbs, especially around Washington, D.C.
Bogomolny cited the advantages of Wood's previous experience as both a provost and a university president.
"We are very excited to welcome Joe Wood to the UB community and to our leadership team," Bogomolny said. "His significant experience and proven record of success at multiple institutions will help us maintain and build on our current momentum, even in these challenging times. I believe our community will find Joe to be a strong and collaborative leader who will help us realize our academic vision."
"I have always been drawn to the mission of public, urban, comprehensive universities, and I am excited by the energy at UB in its undergraduate, professional and graduate programs," Wood said. "Of UB's many virtues, the opportunities growing in enrollment, building faculty resources and developing a signature academic program of highest quality—especially in this difficult economic time—are special attractions for me."
Throughout his career as an academic administrator, Wood has led planning, curriculum development and program initiation and has worked to strengthen faculty recruitment, retention and review processes. During his service as interim president at the University of Southern Maine, he was responsible for more than 10,000 students in eight colleges on three campuses and for an annual expenditure budget of $175 million.
The University of Baltimore's provost serves as the institution's chief academic officer and as a senior member of the president's leadership team. The position's responsibilities include implementing the University's vision while ensuring academic excellence; maintaining growth in external funding for research and outreach; and supporting the University's colleges, schools, academic departments, centers, institutes and professional programs. The provost reports directly to the president and serves as a member of both the president's cabinet and the Executive Committee.
Wood has been active in community affairs; he currently serves on the board of the Maine Philanthropy Center and is board president of the Maine-based Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.
Wood's wife, Diane, is a professor of education and leadership studies at the University of Southern Maine. She will rejoin the education faculty at George Mason University, where she taught from 1995-2000. Their two children and two granddaughters live in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.