By Jesus Mena

C. D. Mote (Click on photo to obtain high resolution image. Photo credit: Jane Scherr)

COLLEGE PARK, MD - University of California, Berkeley Vice Chancellor for University Relations C.D. "Dan" Mote has been appointed the 27th president of the University of Maryland, officials at the University System of Maryland (USM) announced today. UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl congratulated Mote on his new appointment while expressing a deep sense of loss. "Dan Mote has been associated with Berkeley all his life," said Berdahl. "He has been an extraordinary member of the Berkeley faculty for over 30 years. He has been the central force behind the current capital campaign." Berdahl said he saw Mote as both a good personal friend and a mentor to him in his first year as chancellor. "To say we will miss him is an understatement," added Berdahl. "We will be bereft. But we are also proud of him because he will be an excellent president of the University of Maryland." In addition to serving as Vice Chancellor of University Relations, Mote is President of the UC Berkeley Foundation and held an endowed chair in mechanical systems. As the new president of University of Maryland, Mote replaces William E. "Brit" Kirwan, who will assume the presidency of Ohio State University on July 1. In a press conference today in Maryland, USM officials said they were proud of acquiring Mote as their new president. Mote is expected to assume his new duties in September. "The Regents could not be more pleased with this appointment," said Board of Regents Chairman Lance W. Billingsley. "Mote brings to the University of Maryland the national stature, record of accomplishment, and leadership abilities to build on Brit Kirwan's legacy and to propel this institution into the top tier of American research universities. A man of impeccable credentials, he is widely recognized for his ability to form strategic alliances between the academy and the community. I can think of no one better to take over the helm of our flagship university." Mote, 61, was named to the Vice Chancellor's position and foundation presidency at UC Berkeley in 1991. In those capacities, he has been responsible for working with the university's external constituencies through a variety of programs, including fund raising, government relations, publications, and public information. In 1992 he launched a comprehensive, campus-wide campaign to raise $1.1 billion in private support by the year 2000. From 1987 to 1991, Mote served as chair of Berkeley's Department of Mechanical Engineering, which was top ranked number in the National Research Council review of graduate program effectiveness. He came to Berkeley in 1967 after three years on the faculty of the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He has held research positions at the University of Birmingham, the Norwegian Institute for Wood Science and Technology, the Technical University of Darmstadt, and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. His technical expertise is in the areas of dynamic systems, instrumentation, vibration and biomechanics. He is internationally recognized for his research on gyroscopic systems. His work has yielded 300 publications as well as patents in the U.S., Norway, Finland and Sweden. Among his numerous honors, Mote has received research fellowships from the National Science Foundation and from the Royal Norwegian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. In 1971 the University of California, UC Berkeley gave him its Distinguished Teacher Award. In 1988 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the U.S. and was awarded the Humboldt Prize by the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1997 Mote was chosen Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the highest award bestowed by this society, for exemplary accomplishments in the course of his career. Mote holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics, all from the University of California, Berkeley. Kirwan announced his decision to accept the presidency of Ohio State last January. Kirwan became president of the University of Maryland in 1989. Under his leadership, the university has made great strides toward its goal of national eminence. Flagship campus of the University System of Maryland, the University of Maryland is located in College Park and offers 97 undergraduate programs, 94 master's programs, and 73 doctoral programs to some 33,000 students. Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland today ranks high among public universities nationally in competition for prestigious faculty fellowships and federal research funding. The University of Maryland is on the leading edge in such fields as engineering, computer science, physical science, and performing arts and also offers strong programs in business and entrepreneurship, journalism, behavioral and social sciences, agriculture and natural resources, and public and international affairs.