Rice

Jennifer King Rice serves as senior vice president and provost for the University of Maryland, responsible for steering UMD’s academic enterprise, including providing strategic direction for its 12 schools and colleges. Rice’s leadership is driven by her commitment to inclusive excellence; innovative and transformative teaching and learning; and impactful research and scholarship. 

Serving as provost since 2021, Rice led the campuswide development of the university’s ambitious strategic plan. Fearlessly Forward: In Pursuit of Excellence and Impact for the Public Good sets forth UMD's bold vision of being a university in service to humanity through an unwavering dedication to advancing the public good. Reflecting her collaborative, innovative and values-centered approach, the plan is guided by the university’s shared commitments to reimagine learning, take on humanity’s grand challenges, invest in people and communities, and partner to advance the public good.

Rice has served on the faculty and in college and campus leadership roles at UMD for three decades, and she has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. Prior to becoming provost, she served as dean of UMD’s College of Education where she launched new academic programs, advanced initiatives to cultivate an environment of inclusion and belonging, and expanded research activity to unprecedented levels.

A prolific scholar and a Fellow of the American Education Research Association, her research draws on the disciplines of economics and philosophy to understand the policies, practices and resources needed to support more effective and equitable educational opportunities for all students.