Diversifying University of Maryland University College’s financial base and expanding some of its degree programs, while continuing “to serve as a leader in distance education and in classroom instruction around the world,” are just some of Susan Aldridge’s plans for the university.
On Friday, Aldridge will have an opportunity to present her vision for UMUC when she is officially inaugurated as the university’s fifth president. The inauguration comes a year after she succeeded Gerald Heeger, who served in the post from 1999 to 2005.
New presidents “really need some time at the university to assess the strengths and opportunities for the university in order to present a vision at the inauguration,” Aldridge told The Examiner recently.
In her first year, Aldridge already has made an impact. She helped attract an unprecedented 10,000 new students for the fall 2006 semester, more than 20 percent above the figures for 2005.
UMUC, which caters to working professionals, also opened a new location at Dorsey Station in Elkridge and signed matriculation agreements with community colleges across the state in 2006, Aldridge said. The university serves 90,000 students worldwide.
“University of Maryland University College has 127 teaching locations throughout the world in 20 countries, so the opportunity to work for a global university that teaches working professionals both in class and online is an opportunity of a lifetime,” Aldridge said.
Before joining UMUC, Aldridge had been vice chancellor for Troy University’s College and eCampus in Alabama since 2001. Previously, she served as a faculty member at the National University of Singapore, a lecturer at Hong Kong University and as division director for the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Aldridge has also been vice president of Aldridge and Associates, Inc., which researched, designed and managed national and international education institutes, according to her UMUC biography.
After years of visiting the Washington area on business, Aldridge is living in Bethesda and is excited to be here full time.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to work with people who are involved in creating national policy and national processes about the future of education in the United States,” said Aldridge, who is also enjoying the easy access to “all of the culture and history” in the area.
Aldridge earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado Women’s College and her master’s and doctorate, both in public administration, from the University of Colorado.
