(Re)Introducing Darryll Pines

UMD’s 34th President a Familiar Face—and an Accomplished Presence—on Campus

Darryll J. Pines is the new guy moving into the University of Maryland president’s office in July, but he’s been part of the campus community for a quarter century.

Pines arrived at UMD in 1995 as an aerospace engineering assistant professor, became a department chair, then served 11 years as dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering before the University System of Maryland Board of Regents tapped him to succeed Wallace D. Loh.

“I feel an immense obligation based on the incredible career that I’ve had here to give back,” Pines said in an interview after his selection. “To me that means working toward uncompromising commitment to excellence in all that we do—in the arts and athletics and in academics, and also to build better community and to work on the culture of diversity and inclusiveness throughout the university.”

Pines has been praised for increasing diversity among Clark School students and faculty, including doubling the number of tenured and tenure-track women and underrepresented minority faculty. He has also overseen rising retention and graduation rates that are now among the highest of any engineering school.

Under his watch, A. James Clark Hall, the hub for bioengineering on campus, and the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, home of the Maryland Robotics Center, opened, and the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory is scheduled to follow in 2021. Other new facilities include the region’s only outdoor drone testing space, the Fearless Flight Facility, along with the UMD Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site in St. Mary’s County.

Pines also led the Clark School’s fundraising efforts in the university’s $1.5 billion Fearless Ideas campaign, including a $219.5 million investment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to fund Clark School operations and scholarships for deserving students all over campus.

The student experience has been a top priority for Pines, who has steadily supported competitions and outside-the-classroom learning opportunities, and sought opportunities to interact with Clark School students, from the classroom to the annual Alumni Cup, a Rube Goldberg machine-building competition between departments.

KerryAnn O’Meara, a professor and associate dean in the College of Education who co-developed the ADVANCE Initiative with Pines to support female faculty at UMD, praised his down-to-earth, “authentic” presence and predicted his success in helping the university reach new heights. “He genuinely cares about people on our campus and wants to make UMD a better place to work and grow,” she said.