TU Alumna and Board of Visitors member Nancy Grasmick inducted into the Baltimore Business & Civic Hall of Fame

The Baltimore Sun has announced that Towson University alumna and longtime TU Board of Visitors member Nancy S. Grasmick, Ph.D., is an inductee in the inaugural class of its Baltimore Business and Civic Hall of Fame.

Grasmick received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Towson University in 1961 and has served on the Board of Visitors for more than a decade.

In 2012, Grasmick was named the Presidential Scholar for Innovation in Teacher and Leader Preparation at Towson University, where she collaborates with national experts and practitioners to transform the way that teachers deliver classroom instruction and engage students.

“Congratulations to Dr. Grasmick on this prestigious honor,” said TU President Kim Schatzel. “Dr. Grasmick has spent her career working tirelessly to improve education in Baltimore, in Maryland and throughout the nation. Her depth of knowledge and experience in the field of education have been extremely beneficial to our university and to our Board of Visitors.

“We are honored to have someone of Dr. Grasmick’s stature and impact working with us here at Towson University,” Schatzel added.

Grasmick was the state superintendent of Maryland Public Schools for 20 years, from 1991 until 2011, serving 24 districts, 1,424 schools and 869,113 students. She was both the first female superintendent in Maryland history and the longest-serving appointed superintendent in U.S. history.

“I am honored to be recognized for the work I love, creating opportunities for students through quality education,” Grasmick said. “There is great humility in being among such prestigious leaders.”

She founded the Towson University Presidential Scholar Signature Forums speaker series, an annual event that provides Maryland’s education leaders, parents, teachers, and policy makers with access to the newest information and research on current and pertinent education topics.

She has also received The Daily Record’s 2014 Innovator of the Year and the 2015 Baltimore County Woman of the Year awards.