Ushering In New Leadership: Dr. Jay Perman

Published: Jan. 13, 2020, 2:35 p.m.

Money was scarce for Dr. Jay Perman, growing up, working in his immigrant parents’ laundry in Chicago. He was 13 when his father died; when he set his sights on medical school, he had no idea how he’d afford it--until he was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. So as president of the University of Maryland Baltimore for the past ten years, Perman stressed making higher education accessible .. for all families. It’s still a top goal now that he’s the new chancellor of the University System of Maryland -- a dozen campuses all over the state. We sit down with him at the start of his new role.