Notre Dame of Maryland University leader stepping down 

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Notre Dame of Maryland University President Marylou Yam announced plans to retire, with her last day on June 30, 2026, school officials announced Wednesday afternoon.

Yam, who became NDMU‘s 14th president on July 1, 2014, would have spent 12 years at the helm by the time of her scheduled retirement date.

“Serving as the 14th president of this extraordinary mission-driven institution has been one of the greatest honors and blessings of my life. Notre Dame of Maryland University has always been — and will always be — a place where individuals are inspired to learn deeply, serve generously, and lead boldly,” Yam said in a statement. 

“Over the past decade, we have faced some difficult challenges, including a global pandemic, but together with a spirit of innovation and resilience, we stayed steadfast in our mission and values; and in doing so we were able to advance our strategic goals and priorities forward successfully.”

Yam, who led the university through uncertain times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has left her mark on the campus community by facilitating impactful partnerships, guiding academic growth and enabling the school to reach historical achievements, according to NDMU officials and colleagues. 

The college’s enrollment shot up by 38% since 2022, says an NDMU release, while raising $52.6 million through the largest fundraising campaign to support students and increasing its endowment by 40%.

“President Yam has worked 24/7 to put NDMU on a path of success – whether it be in increasing the endowment, creating new programs and schools, creating a new energy and growth in the school through taking the university all-gender, raising our visibility in the city and state and increasing our rankings in so many categories,” NDMU Board of Trustees chair Cathryn Curia said. 

“Her goal has always been the financial stability and the growth of Notre Dame, while caring for the campus community and respecting the school’s heritage with the SSNDs.”

Under Yam’s leadership, NDMU launched the School of Integrative Health, developed after a recent merger of the former Maryland University of Integrative Health. This move made NDMU the nation’s first comprehensive university with a program exclusively dedicated to integrative health. 

Some academic programs that experienced growth or advancement under Yam’s tenure include NDMU Online, the Ph.D. in Higher Education, Maryland’s first bachelor’s and master’s programs in art therapy, the state’s first Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at a private institution, and the first Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at a private institution, according to an NDMU release.

“President Yam’s deep faith, visionary leadership, and steadfast dedication have been hallmarks of her presidency at Notre Dame of Maryland University,” NDMU Corporate Board chair Charmaine Krohe said. “We are profoundly grateful for her leadership, her courage, and the lasting legacy she leaves to the Notre Dame community.”