Earlier in the month, on the day when news rolled out about the appointment of UMBC’s next president, the woman who will take over for retiring president Freeman Hrabowski hopped a plane and made a surprise visit to Baltimore. Valerie Sheares Ashby, current dean of Duke University’s Trinity School of Arts & Sciences, may not officially start her role until August 1, but she’s already making a splash on campus.
“I showed up today, on the day of the announcement, because there was no way I was not going to show up in Freeman Hrabowski’s office to honor him,” Sheares Ashby told a group of campus leaders the morning of April 4th.
Sheares Ashby spent the rest of her two-day visit exploring campus and meeting students, faculty, staff, and civic leaders—much of the time with Hrabowski as her guide. With each new person she met, she shared her growing excitement about joining the UMBC community.
“It is a real honor,” she said. “The biggest compliment I have received today is, ‘Oh, this is perfect for you.’”
Here are some highlights from announcement week:
"I've been the first and only many times woman, the first person of color, the first woman person of color. I am accustomed to only and first, so it's the nature of the world is in which I live in," Valerie Sheares Ashby said. https://t.co/tNAzkLcXI2
— UMBC (@UMBC) April 6, 2022
“When I get nervous about following Freeman, I think, you know, they are already doing the work,” Valerie Sheares Ashby said. “It is well established what their principles and values are. And those are mine.” https://t.co/0UIG3pPR2o
— UMBC (@UMBC) April 4, 2022
Glad to see Dr. Ashby, UMBC's next president, is enjoying what will be her new view at #UMBC starting August 1! And you know it wouldn't be a visit with President Hrabowski without a quick selfie. pic.twitter.com/qLJutagdlR
— UMBC (@UMBC) April 5, 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby and @UMBC. I am confident that Dr. Ashby will continue to uphold the university’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation and am excited about how she will lead the university forward. https://t.co/OEdCPqjjAF
— Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (@SpeakerAJones) April 4, 2022
Learn more about our incoming president and planned celebration events for President Hrabowski at president.umbc.edu.
Header image and portrait of Valerie Sheares Ashby with True Grit by Marlayna Demond ’11.
