Jay Perman, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist, was appointed the fifth chancellor of the University System of Maryland this past January. Nevins & Associates President David Nevins recently spoke with Dr. Perman about his goals for the USM as chancellor, and the role of higher education during the times of a global pandemic and social justice reform.

David Nevins: Congratulations on being appointed chancellor of the University System of Maryland. You’ve inherited a pandemic in your first year as chancellor – how is the world of a chancellor during a global pandemic?

Jay Perman: I am very privileged to be the chancellor of the USM, no matter the circumstances. A lot of people ask me, “What’s a physician doing as chancellor?” Something I’ve realized as a healthcare provider is we’re often treating problems that are preventable and never should have happened in the first place. I’ve developed a sensitivity to the notion of social determinants of health – how healthy you are is influenced by your life circumstances. I have a firm belief that education makes the difference to close a lot of these social gaps, and going through a pandemic as a chancellor in higher education has only emphasized that belief for me. The pandemic has diverted our goals a bit, but we’ll get back to that.

DN: When this pandemic passes, talk about what you intend to accomplish as chancellor. How do you want to affect the University System of Maryland?

JP: I think it’s important to define the role of higher education, specifically the University System of Maryland, in how it relates to K-12 education. Next would be to execute. We talk about the importance of closing the achievement gap for children in poverty and children of color in terms of the rate they succeed in college—and how to stop needing to remediate kids who come unprepared to college through no fault of their own. We need to stop simply trying to solve those problems when they get to college and, instead, start closing the gap and preparing them for success in college in the earlier grades. It shouldn’t just be the kids who make it to college who receive that help. Higher education absolutely has a major role in that.It’s been said many times, “Talent in children is universal; opportunity is not.”

DN: It does seem that finally, the interest in social justice seems to be pervasive throughout society – have you given thought about your role in advancing social justice?

JP: As a university system, we’re actively organizing our thoughts and action plan. First, there’s an internal piece – we need to take an introspective look at ourselves within institutions.Where are we failing to make people comfortable in their roles—including faculty, staff, and students—and feeling that they’re treated equitably? For employees, are we giving equal opportunity for growth, paying them fairly, promoting them? Then there’s the research piece – what are we teaching in our classes and what do we need to teach better? We also need to be innovators – what can we in education do creatively to get us out of this jam that’s been damaging us for so long?Finally, there’s the external piece –I have a strong belief in higher education institutions as anchor institutions. We need to make sure our institutions are contributing positively to their surrounding communities. Are our communities looking at our big buildings and resources and getting something out of them? We need to do our part to make sure the children of these communities have hope and a pathway to get into these buildings.

DN: It sounds like you’re saying that it’s time for the university system to not just teach, and not just research, but actually effect change throughout the state.

JP: That’s exactly the point. Each of our institutions has a contribution to make to the community in which each resides.And they’re doing it. But now, we need to maximize it.

DN: You can take a pediatrician and put him in a different world, yet he’s still a pediatrician. I was struck by your mention to me that you worry about your grandchildren in the pandemic, and children all across the country, who are missing out on regular childhood experiences. Can you expand on that?

JP: I understand the concern about sending children back to school. But it’s been well said by many all the important benefits of kids being in school –for some, it can be safety, food, or avoiding abuse; but for all children, it’s the experience of childhood you can only get in a classroom. Of course, I understand the health concerns, but I do worry about these kids – I think even those in the best virtual learning circumstances are going to fall behind. Those who live in impoverished circumstances will fall even further behind. This will be a challenge for America and the education system at all levels to repair the damage.