University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, was named to The Daily Record’s inaugural Power 30 Higher Education List, which recognizes leaders who have exceled in advancing their institution’s academic mission while also dealing with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s quite an honor to be included on this list with so many talented individuals dedicated to higher education and the success of students in our state,” Jarrell said. “I thank The Daily Record for this recognition, and I’m grateful to all at UMB who inspire me every day in our work to improve the human condition and serve the public good.”
In its profile, the newspaper noted that Jarrell became UMB’s interim president in January 2020, two months before the pandemic unfolded, and that his tenure has been marked by the University’s response and recovery to the unprecedented health and economic crisis.
“This has been a year where the best in many people has come forward,” Jarrell told The Daily Record, a statewide newspaper that focuses on business, law, and government. “At UMB, people have taken initiative in solving problems, stepped forward to take leadership roles, and managed to be productive in spite of the many difficulties that have been thrown in their way by COVID.
“Guiding UMB through these difficult times is an accomplishment of which I am proud.”
In introducing the list, Thomas Baden Jr., editor of The Daily Record, said the honorees were chosen by the newspaper’s editorial team, which reached out to readers and others for input and perspective.
“There are few, if any, fields of endeavor more critical to Maryland’s future than higher education,” Baden wrote. “The task of preparing a new generation of citizens with critical thinking abilities, the temperament for lifelong learning, and the skills to enter a globally competitive workplace grows more challenging every year.
“On top of all of that, we saw year two of a global pandemic that made in-class instruction difficult [sometimes impossible] and posed financial and technological obstacles unthinkable only months earlier. Many of the women and men leading our institutions of higher education, as well as teachers, policymakers, and advocates, rose to this challenge.”
Jarrell arrived at UMB in 1997 as chair of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Department of Surgery. In 2003, he moved to the UMSOM Dean’s Office, where he served as executive vice dean. He has held a series of UMB leadership positions, including chief academic and research officer, senior vice president, executive vice president, and dean of the University of Maryland Graduate School.
He told the newspaper that he credits his success to those with whom he has worked.
“It’s all about the people — who you surround yourself with, who you make time to meet and engage, and how you use their good will for improving other peoples’ lives,” Jarrell said.