University of Maryland announces Darryll Pines as next president

The University System of Maryland officially announced Dr. Darryl Pines as the University of Maryland’s next leader Wednesday night.

Pines, who is currently the dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, will replace current president Wallace D. Loh on July 1, 2020. He will be the 34th president in school history.

“I’ve known [Dr. Pines] as an outstanding teacher, a dedicated mentor, a brilliant researcher, and an extraordinary leader,” Chancellor Jay A. Perman wrote in a release. “It’s fitting — and gratifying — that UMD will be led by a member of its own family, by someone who knows so well its people and programs, its considerable strengths and enormous potential.”

Replacing Loh has been in the works for almost a year now. He announced his retirement in October 2018 as the school dealt with scandal involving the football program amidst the fallout after Jordan McNair’s death. In January 2019, Loh said that he would stay in his position through the 2020 academic year to oversee ongoing projects.

The university launched a presidential search committee on April 24, 2019, which included 20 members and was aided by national executive search firm Isaacson Miller.

The committee landed on Pines, who first started working at Maryland in 1995 as an assistant professor before assuming his role as the dean of the engineering school in 2009.

The name Pines might sound familiar for a reason beyond his current role — his son, Donovan Pines, played for Maryland soccer from 2016-18. The All-Big Ten defender was key in the Terps’ 2018 National Championship and now plays for D.C. United.