As the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) prepares to celebrate 100 years of working towards advancing scientific knowledge of the environment for Maryland and world, we welcome Dr. Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm as president, only the seventh in our history. A renowned ecosystem hydrologist, Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm has a career of over 30 years in academic leadership, bringing together his expertise with government, private sector, and international development organizations, most recently as dean of the College of Science at George Mason University. He will also serve as the University System of Maryland’s vice chancellor for sustainability.
How do you see your decades of experience applying to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science?
I have spent over 30 years working in the environmental field in academia, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the international development community. This has given me a perspective of how an institution of the uniqueness of UMCES can make contributions that bring together science, policy, management and overall support towards solutions that are very much in need in Maryland, across the country and around the world.
What are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the environment today in both Maryland and around the world, and what do see as UMCES’ role?
Our biggest challenge as a society is the enhancement of the overall quality of our lives while preserving the natural resources that support it. This is a very complex challenge everywhere in the world, and Maryland can serve as a laboratory-of-sorts to experiment, test approaches, learn and continue to improve. At the same time, there is a significant opportunity to both learn from what is happening in other parts of the country and the world and contribute to what we learn through our work. UMCES is uniquely positioned to address these challenges and deliver on such opportunity, while continuing to be the most important environmental science knowledge enterprise in Maryland and increasing its global presence.
What is on your ‘must-do’ list as step you into this role? What goals are at the top of your list?
I think that a key important element of my new role is the coupling of the Presidency of UMCES while serving as the Vice Chancellor for Sustainability of the University System of Maryland (USM). My hope is that this dual role will help to elevate UMCES as the leader for environmental sustainability across the state system. Collaborating with the 11 other state institutions and 3 regional centers is on my must-do list as well. For UMCES, this will mean launching a strategic planning process that tackles the challenges and opportunities I have mentioned, and comprises the larger role of UMCES within the USM. All of this will require significant fundraising, and this has been at the very top of my list since day 1.
You are joining UMCES as the university prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary. What do you see in UMCES’ future?
I see an institution that will enter its second century with a renewed sense of mission and purpose, focused on delivering solutions to pressing challenges such as environmental security (water, energy, food), climate change mitigation and adaptation, nature-based solutions to improve the quality of our rural and urban environments, public health, the diversity of living species on our planet and shared prosperity. I see an institution that the state of Maryland, the country and the world can call on as an asset to address these pressing challenges.
