Marylou Yam

Marylou Yam

President, Notre Dame of Maryland University

After beginning her career as a nurse and nursing educator, Marylou Yam moved into administration,  helping  St. Peter’s College, a Catholic school in New Jersey, make the transition to a university.

President of Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) since 2014, Yam has led the effort to develop two five-year strategic plans, raised historic levels of fundraising money and expanded academic programs at the Baltimore university.

What is the biggest challenge facing higher education?

Equitable access and affordability remain one of the biggest challenges. Middle and low income students are finding it difficult to afford college, despite government and institutional financial aid. This challenge, along with the impact of the pandemic, is contributing to declining college enrollment.

Initiatives, such as #DoublePell on the national level and NDMU’s Promise Program on the institutional level are critical to ensuring that higher education remains affordable for all students.

What is the most encouraging new development in higher education?

Higher education as a sector has become much more focused on applying data and technology to help drive student retention and completion. At NDMU we work proactively to identify students and intervene with support services as early as possible. For example, at NDMU, our Trailblazers program is focused on providing 1st Generation students with wrap around supports including financial literacy, FAFSA preparation, tutoring and enrichment programs to ensure student success.

What do you do to unwind?

I enjoy listening to music, reading a book (preferably biographies) and taking walks outside.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Higher Education Power List for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.