C. Daniel Mote Jr.

Clayton Daniel Mote, Jr. has been the President of the University of Maryland and the Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering since September 1998. Recruited from the University of California, Berkeley, Mote has led Maryland to national and international eminence, encouraging an environment of excellence across the University and given new impetus to the momentum generated by a talented faculty and student body and world-class research. In 1998, the University was ranked 30th among public research universities. Under his leadership, the university rose to 18th nationally within seven years (US News and World Report), and is now 37th among world universities, up from 75th in 2003 (Shanghai Jiao Tong University Institute of Higher Education).

Mote’s presidency has been marked by a pursuit of excellence – in and out of the classroom; among world-class faculty and talented students; in funded research; regional, national and international partnerships; intercollegiate athletics; and service to the state. He has emphasized programs to increase access and affordability for the state’s most talented, but economically disadvantaged students.

To support an aggressive growth and service mission, Mote initiated the university’s first-ever billion-dollar capital campaign, Great Expectations. This unprecedented fundraising campaign has infused the university with a strong foundation for student and faculty support and capital growth.

Under Mote, the university now leads the state in the development of its high-tech economy, especially in the information and communication, bioscience and biotechnology, and nanotechnology sectors. President Mote has greatly expanded the university's partnerships with corporate and federal laboratories and increased sponsored research to $400 million, developing particular strengths in climate change, counter-terrorism and language research. He has increased the university’s prominence in Europe and China, bringing to the University the first and largest Confucius Institute; the first Science Research Park sponsored by the People's Republic of China; a research park, The University of Maryland Enterprise Campus, M-Square, with 3 million square feet of development potential. Among M-Square’s first tenants are the Center for Advanced Study of Language, a joint venture of the University and Department of Defense, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's new World Weather and Climate Prediction Center. In addition, Mote spearheaded the development of the East Campus, which will offer a broad range of business, residential and mixed retail and entertainment options for the university and its neighboring communities.

Mote also led the university’s largest building boom in its history. New facilities address every aspect of university life, from the arts to recreation to classrooms and laboratories, and, in creative partnership with the private sector, new residential facilities. They include: the Jeong Kim Engineering Complex; a $20 million wing to the Smith School of Business; a state-of-the-art biosciences building; the stunning Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center; the Comcast Sports Center, a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex; a high-tech research greenhouse. President Mote also led the development of a new Facilities Master Plan for development in the next 20 years, which is nationally recognized for its emphasis on environmental stewardship.

Dr. Mote is a leader in the national dialogue on higher education--competitiveness in science and technology, analysis of shifting funding models, and access and affordability issues. He has testified on major educational issues before Congress, representing the University and national higher education associations on the problem of visa barriers for international students and scholars and on deemed export control issues. His co-authorship of the National Academies landmark report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, keyed the creation of President George W. Bush’s national American Competitiveness Initiative. Taking the challenge issued by the president of the United States, the University of Maryland convened leaders and stakeholders at a statewide Competitive Edge Summit, the first such university-driven initiative in the nation.

Before Maryland, Mote served on the University of California, Berkeley faculty for 31 years. As Vice Chancellor, Mote held an endowed chair in Mechanical Systems and was President of the UC Berkeley Foundation, leading a comprehensive capital campaign for Berkeley that raised $1.4 billion. He earlier served as chair of Berkeley's Department of Mechanical Engineering and led the department to its number one ranking in the National Research Council review of graduate program effectiveness.

President Mote's research lies in dynamic systems and biomechanics. Internationally recognized for his research on the dynamics of gyroscopic systems and the biomechanics of snow skiing, he has produced more than 300 publications, holds patents in the U.S., Norway, Finland and Sweden, and has mentored numerous doctoral students. He received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

He and his wife of over 40 years, Patricia Mote, have two married children, Melissa and Adam, and four grandchildren. Patsy Mote has continued her strong support of the arts and is spokesperson for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and a member of Prince George's County Arts Commission.

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