Wallace Dao-kui Loh ( zh, c=陸道逵, p=Lù Dàokuí; born 1946) was the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

, a position assumed November 1, 2010. He retired from the presidency on June 30, 2020 and was succeeded by Darryll J. Pines.

Early life

Loh was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

to a prominent family. His grandparents owned five blocks' worth of downtown Shanghai property, and his father was a diplomat. In 1949, when

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

took over China after the

Communist Revolution A communist revolution is a proletarian revolution often, but not necessarily, inspired by the ideas of Marxism that aims to replace capitalism with communism. Depending on the type of government, socialism can be used as an intermediate stage ...

, the Loh family sought asylum in

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. He went to the United States for college, earning a bachelor's degree from

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

. He later earned a master's degree from

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

where he was elected for membership in the

Telluride House The Telluride House, formally the Cornell Branch of the Telluride Association (CBTA), and commonly referred to as just "Telluride", is a highly selective residential community of Cornell University students and faculty. Founded in 1910 by Ame ...

, a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and a J.D. degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

Academic career

Before becoming the president at University of Maryland, College Park, Loh spent three decades in higher education. He has been dean of the

University of Washington Law School The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washingto ...

, vice chancellor of the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

, a dean at

Seattle University Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...

, and most recently provost at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

where he oversaw budgets and personnel for the state university's eleven colleges. During his career in academic administration, Loh has led campaigns to curb

underage drinking The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between ...

at University of Iowa, and more recently, to diversify the

. During his leadership as President, the university saw a 13.8% increase in underrepresented minority graduation rates and a decrease in the gap between white and underrepresented minority students of 6.1%. He wrote an editorial in ''Time'' magazine discussing the importance of an open dialogue on cultural differences between the student population. He also participated in the planning and development of a memorial square to

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

to honor his contributions to America's quest for freedom, liberty, and equal rights. Loh was inducted into

Omicron Delta Kappa Omicron Delta Kappa (), also known as The Circle and ODK, is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the United States with chapters at more than 300 college campuses. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington and Lee University in ...

as a faculty/staff initiate at the University of Maryland in 2011. The University of Maryland ranks among the top five quantum computing research universities in the United States and among the top 12 in the world, according to The Quantum Daily, a quantum computing news website. In '' U.S. News & World Report''s 2020 rankings of 1,500 universities (across 81 countries) of the "best global universities," University of Maryland's College Park campus is ranked 51st in the world, 30th among all U.S. universities, and 15th among all U.S. public universities. Separately, University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is No.2 in

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

’ 2018 ranking of Master of Finance programs in the United States. According to U.S. News & World Report Rankings 2017, Maryland's iSchool Earns National Ranking No.8 in Library and Information Studies. Moreover, Maryland Terrapins has achieved 𝟏𝟎 National Championships, 𝟑𝟖 Conference Championships in the decade. However, he endured a personnel scandal related to the death of a football player,

Jordan McNair Jordan Martin McNair (March 3, 1999 – June 13, 2018) was an American football player from Randallstown, Maryland, who played on the offensive line. In May 2018, following an offseason workout with the Maryland Terrapins football team, McNair was ...

. Loh announced on October 30, 2018, that he would retire as president of the University of Maryland on June 30, 2019, following a detailed investigation into McNair's death. The following day, October 31, Loh fired D. J. Durkin against the desire of the University's Board of Regents, which voted to retain Durkin as head football coach. On January 30, 2019, Loh moved his retirement date from June 2019 to June 2020 due to the University's lack of a ready replacement.

Awards and memberships

*Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences *Board of directors of American Council of Education *Advisory Board of

Comptroller General of the United States The Comptroller General of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office), a legislative-branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and ma ...

*Recipient of American Immigration Council's 16th annual Immigrant Achievement Award

References

External links

Biography at University of Maryland, College Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loh, Wallace Presidents of the University of Maryland, College Park Educators from Shanghai Grinnell College alumni Living people People from Lima Yale Law School alumni Cornell University alumni University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni 1946 births Members of Committee of 100 Peruvian emigrants to the United States Chinese emigrants to the United States University of Washington School of Law faculty Deans of law schools in the United States Seattle University faculty Refugees in the United States Chinese refugees