William (Brit) Kirwan, president at Ohio State University, has been elected as the next chair of the Division I Board of Directors, effective after the January 2001 Board meeting.

Kirwan, whose term on the Board will run through 2005, will replace Pennsylvania State University President Graham B. Spanier, whose term on the Board expires after the January 2001 Board meeting.

Kirwan was an original member of the Board of Directors, serving from 1997 through 1998 when he was president of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Kirwan became the 12th president of Ohio State in July 1998 and has based his presidency on pursuing academic excellence and attracting quality faculty; enhancing the student experience; making diversity an institutional reality; and expanding the university's outreach efforts to benefit the people of Ohio and beyond.

Among his initiatives to redefine land-grant universities for the 21st century are promoting partnerships with primary and secondary schools, leading redevelopment of urban areas near the campus and spurring growth of the state's technology economy. Under Kirwan's leadership, Ohio State has completed a $1.1 billion capital campaign.

Kirwan previously served for nine years as president of Maryland and was a professor and administrator there for 34 years. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and his master's and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, in 1962 and 1964.

He is a member of several honorary and professional societies, including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, the American Mathematical Society, and the Mathematical Association of America. A prolific scholar, he is co-editor of the book "Advances in Complex Analysis" and has published many articles on mathematical research.

A national leader in higher education, Kirwan serves on the boards of directors of the American Council on Education and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. He serves in leadership roles as chair of the National Association of State and Land-Grant Universities' Commission on International Affairs and vice-chair of its Commission on Human Resources and Social Change; as co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum Diversity Initiative Task Force; and as member of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century.

In Ohio, Kirwan serves on many important bodies, including as chair of the Inter-University Council and the Columbus Technology Leadership Council; co-chair of the Joint Council of the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Board of Regents, and the Governor's Commission for Student Success; and as a member of the Higher Education Council of Columbus. Kirwan also sits on the advisory committee of the Central Ohio United Negro College Fund, and boards of Children's Hospital, Columbus School for Girls, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and United Way of Franklin County.