Susan Aldridge resigns as president of U. of Maryland University College
The Washington Post
March 22, 2012
Susan Aldridge resigned Thursday as president of the University of Maryland University College, a month after taking an unexplained leave from the state-supported global school amid mounting dissent about her management style and academic priorities.
Aldridge, 60, said she was leaving simply because the time had come. State university officials offered no further explanation in an announcement laced with plaudits.
“Given all that we have accomplished over the past six years, I think this is a good time to step down,” Aldridge said in a prepared statement. Her resignation will take effect March 31. Javier Miyares, vice president for institutional effectiveness, is acting president.
Aldridge came to UMUC in 2006 and burnished its identity as the nation’s largest public online-focused college, according to state university officials, with 92,000 students in 27 nations. A onetime night school, UMUC has evolved into a vast network of adult and military education. The institution granted more than 35,000 degrees during the Aldridge years, with a growing share of those lessons conducted online.