Duncan to assume top university post
Ben Slivnick
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: News
Former Montgomery County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Doug Duncan was named vice president of administrative affairs thursday, a job that puts him at the helm of a $1.3 billion budget.
His appointment comes at a key turning point for the university, as two major developments - one a major research park, the other a retail beacon - are poised to hurtle the university toward prominence. Duncan will oversee university facilities, finance and development, as well as serve as a point man for state political leaders.
Duncan's 12 years as Montgomery County's top administrator brought him a reputation as the visionary who oversaw a period of rapid development in the county, setting him up as the underdog candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He was considered a formidable opponent of then-Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley - now governor - until clinical depression forced him out of the race in June.
Duncan is perhaps best known for leading the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring, and for his strong support of public education. Montgomery County schools are among the nation's finest, and Silver Spring is widely viewed as a triumph after years of urban decay. But the man described as full of ideas said the university's goal is already in place for his next job.
"I think we all already know the plan: to be a top-10 public university," Duncan, described by colleagues as a mild-mannered pragmatist, said. "The theme of the job for me is just to implement the master plan already put forth."
With connections across the state in place from almost 20 years of public service - including six years as mayor of Rockville - he's in an uncommon position to forge ahead. He's particularly well-positioned to take over East Campus development, considering his nine-year relationship with FP-Argo, Silver Spring's primary developer, is likely to have a major hand in East Campus.
University President Dan Mote said in a statement that Duncan is the "right person at the right time" for the job. "Doug is the perfect fit to help us advance our critical administrative priorities," he said.
But beyond Duncan's political clout, FP-Argo Principal Richard Perlmutter said he had come to depend on Duncan's unusual persistence. Before the firm ever proposed its plans for downtown Silver Spring, Perlmutter said, Duncan fired two other developers who failed to meet expectations, then kept going despite the project's waning momentum.
"Anytime you take on a big project there's going to be a lot of background noise telling you it can't be done, and he just doesn't listen to that," Perlmutter said. "He somehow stays a steady course."
Duncan will assume the position April 4. It will be his first job in a university setting, but he has a long history of promoting education. He made it a top campaign priority, pledging to expand state scholarships and lower tuition, arguing long-term fixes were needed rather than short-term tuition freezes.
As Montgomery County Executive, he increased funding for education by 90 percent and watched the enrollment at the Universities at Shady Grove grow tenfold during his tenure after he led several expansions to the campus.
But after a long career in politics, Duncan said he's looking forward to leaving the partisanship that sometimes left him in battles with retail tenants and state officials.
"In the university you work hard to achieve collegiality," he said. "Sometimes in politics instead of working for collegiality, you have to go toe to toe."
And as he prepares for the job, he said he's never felt better. After months of treatment for the depression that plagued him throughout his campaign, he said he knows there's always a possibility it might flare up again, but he's ready to begin work.
"There's always that possibility, but having treatment and having been through it before, I now know what the signs are," he said. "I'm hopeful it won't happen again."
Contact reporter Ben Slivnick at slivnickdbk@gmail.com.
His appointment comes at a key turning point for the university, as two major developments - one a major research park, the other a retail beacon - are poised to hurtle the university toward prominence. Duncan will oversee university facilities, finance and development, as well as serve as a point man for state political leaders.
Duncan's 12 years as Montgomery County's top administrator brought him a reputation as the visionary who oversaw a period of rapid development in the county, setting him up as the underdog candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He was considered a formidable opponent of then-Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley - now governor - until clinical depression forced him out of the race in June.
Duncan is perhaps best known for leading the revitalization of downtown Silver Spring, and for his strong support of public education. Montgomery County schools are among the nation's finest, and Silver Spring is widely viewed as a triumph after years of urban decay. But the man described as full of ideas said the university's goal is already in place for his next job.
"I think we all already know the plan: to be a top-10 public university," Duncan, described by colleagues as a mild-mannered pragmatist, said. "The theme of the job for me is just to implement the master plan already put forth."
With connections across the state in place from almost 20 years of public service - including six years as mayor of Rockville - he's in an uncommon position to forge ahead. He's particularly well-positioned to take over East Campus development, considering his nine-year relationship with FP-Argo, Silver Spring's primary developer, is likely to have a major hand in East Campus.
University President Dan Mote said in a statement that Duncan is the "right person at the right time" for the job. "Doug is the perfect fit to help us advance our critical administrative priorities," he said.
But beyond Duncan's political clout, FP-Argo Principal Richard Perlmutter said he had come to depend on Duncan's unusual persistence. Before the firm ever proposed its plans for downtown Silver Spring, Perlmutter said, Duncan fired two other developers who failed to meet expectations, then kept going despite the project's waning momentum.
"Anytime you take on a big project there's going to be a lot of background noise telling you it can't be done, and he just doesn't listen to that," Perlmutter said. "He somehow stays a steady course."
Duncan will assume the position April 4. It will be his first job in a university setting, but he has a long history of promoting education. He made it a top campaign priority, pledging to expand state scholarships and lower tuition, arguing long-term fixes were needed rather than short-term tuition freezes.
As Montgomery County Executive, he increased funding for education by 90 percent and watched the enrollment at the Universities at Shady Grove grow tenfold during his tenure after he led several expansions to the campus.
But after a long career in politics, Duncan said he's looking forward to leaving the partisanship that sometimes left him in battles with retail tenants and state officials.
"In the university you work hard to achieve collegiality," he said. "Sometimes in politics instead of working for collegiality, you have to go toe to toe."
And as he prepares for the job, he said he's never felt better. After months of treatment for the depression that plagued him throughout his campaign, he said he knows there's always a possibility it might flare up again, but he's ready to begin work.
"There's always that possibility, but having treatment and having been through it before, I now know what the signs are," he said. "I'm hopeful it won't happen again."
Contact reporter Ben Slivnick at slivnickdbk@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Jerry
posted 3/26/07 @ 8:31 AM EST
Probably a decent hire. However, based on his strongly pro-development history, I hope the campus fares better than Montgomery County did under his leadership. (Continued…)
Bryan
posted 3/26/07 @ 11:51 AM EST
Political payoff job. Porcari (P. Glendenning's Sec of Trans) got it when Ehrlich came in along with a 32% pay increase to $204,000 in '02 plus perks. (Continued…)
MoCo
posted 3/28/07 @ 4:49 PM EST
Duncan's record in Mongomery County shows that he's a classic slimey politician, and nothing more. As a politician, he raised taxes endlessly. In his new position, he won't have to answer to voters, so you can bet that there will be double-digit percentage tuition increases starting in the 2008-2009 school year, along with steep increases in fees even sooner. (Continued…)
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