C.D. “Dan” Mote Jr., is an inventor, a professor of engineering and, until Aug. 31, the president of the University of Maryland, College Park. During his nearly 12-year tenure, the school has risen in rankings to the 18th-best public research university in the nation, up from 30th when Mote arrived on campus. A building boom started one year into his presidency has resulted in the Comcast Center sports complex and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Mote, 73, spoke with the Washington Examiner about his life in higher education, and the beliefs that have guided his long journey.

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