Emotions, Gratitude at Celebration of Perman Years
As president of the 91大神, Baltimore (UMB), Jay A. Perman, MD, has challenged the University to promote big ideas and be forward-looking. To celebrate his nearly 10-year tenure, however, a look backward was appropriate.
In that vein, nostalgia and sentiment filled the air Dec. 12 at the SMC Campus Center, where a crowd of about 400 packed the second-floor Elm Ballrooms to pay tribute to Perman, who will become the fifth chancellor of the (USM) on Jan. 6.
Dr. Perman greeted a line of well-wishers before and after the celebration on Dec. 12 at the SMC Campus Center.
Students, staff, faculty, and community members enjoyed refreshments and were treated to a 15-minute video extolling Perman and his presidency, followed by remarks from Perman and Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS, the executive vice president, provost, and Graduate School dean who will assume the role of interim president. It was an emotional gathering, and in the video, Elsie Stines, DNP, MS, CRNP, assistant vice president of special projects and initiatives, summed up the day鈥檚 sentiments as she spoke through tears, calling Perman a 鈥済reat boss, colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend.鈥�
鈥淚 know that Dr. Perman was put on this earth to do what he鈥檚 doing,鈥� said Stines, who has worked with him for 20 years and oversees the weekly President鈥檚 Clinic where Perman, a pediatric gastroenterologist by trade, treats patients. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a good guy, and this [leading USM] was his calling. He鈥檚 going to make a huge difference system-wide This is what he was called to do 鈥� and so I respect that, I understand that, and I鈥檓 very happy for him.鈥�
(View the video below.)
The event was dubbed 鈥淐elebrating the Perman Years,鈥� and no reminiscence of his tenure would be complete with a recap of the Perman priorities, including interprofessional education, global health, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. The latter was particularly resonant as Ashley Valis, MSW, executive director, strategic initiatives and community engagement, related how a community member handed Perman a gift bag after the Founders Week Gala this past October.
鈥淚n the bag there was a tie and a commemorative glass as thank-you gifts, and there was an envelope with a card that said, 鈥楾hank you for growing a seed.鈥� And inside the card was two dollars,鈥� Valis said in the video. 鈥淎ll Dr. Perman wanted to know the next day was: 鈥榃hat is this woman鈥檚 name, where does she live, and I need to get her a thank-you note.鈥�
鈥淚 think that shows how meaningful UMB鈥檚 engagement endeavor is to the community, how thankful people are for Dr. Perman, but also how grateful he is for being able to give West Baltimore residents opportunities that they might not otherwise have had.鈥�
A Legacy That鈥檚 鈥楶ermanent鈥�
Jarrell also seized on the community engagement theme in his remarks, recalling the University leadership team鈥檚 meeting in 2010 with John Fry, the president of Drexel University, and describing his efforts as transformative for the city of Philadelphia. The group spent a day with Fry, learning about promise zones, urban development, and other initiatives to fight poverty. Fry told the group that what he鈥檒l be most worried about when he leaves is the fate of Drexel鈥檚 community engagement efforts, whether they鈥檇 continue as a fundamental mission of the university.
鈥淲e were very struck by this comment,鈥� Jarrell said. 鈥淪o, yes, we鈥檙e here to honor Dr. Perman for his 10 great years at UMB, but we鈥檙e also here to honor his vision and legacy. So President Perman, I make this commitment: We as a group will endeavor every day to build on your legacy.鈥�
To drive home the point, Jarrell stood in front of a large screen that said 鈥淧erman鈥� and then was switched to say 鈥淧ermanent.鈥�
鈥淲e want to assure you that your work is permanent with a capital P 鈥� permanent in the CURE Scholars Program, permanent in community engagement, permanent in interprofessional education, permanent in diversity and inclusion, and permanent in the core values of this University,鈥� Jarrell said.
Perman was clearly touched by the video, wiping away tears as it played and saying he was 鈥渙verwhelmed鈥� by the tribute. He thanked Jarrell for taking the interim president role and for his commitment to UMB, saying, 鈥淚 trust Bruce. He will be a great leader for this University.鈥�
Jarrell offered gifts to Perman to commemorate his 2104 encounter with a third-grader named Xavier at an event to promote healthy foods at Lexington Market. Struggling to create 鈥渇ood art鈥� with pieces of fruit, Perman got a little help from the youngster, who delighted the president by saying that maybe he鈥檇 grow up to be the leader of UMB. Jarrell, a blacksmith, forged a metal memento of the apple-and-grape racecar they created that day and also gave Perman a photo of him and Xavier.
Everyone Matters
Perman concluded the event with three stories. He discussed his trip this year to Zambia, where HIV-positive mothers are so thankful for UMB medical aid efforts that they call their HIV-negative children 鈥淢aryland babies.鈥� He related how a UMB employee approached him last May after his State of the University Address and told him, 鈥淚 change the light bulbs around here, and now I know why my work matters.鈥�
And he finished by recalling his time as dean and vice president for clinical affairs at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, where elementary and middle school students from Appalachia were invited to engage in a science pipeline program, similar to UMB CURE Scholars.
鈥淭hese kids had no hope. They had no money. And we needed those kids 鈥� the same way we need our West Baltimore children 鈥� to grow up and aspire to attain the careers that all of us here are fortunate to have,鈥� Perman said. 鈥淎t the end of the program, the children gave me a piece of art with a saying by the late Malcolm Forbes: People who matter are most aware that everyone else does, too.
鈥淭hat was their thank you to me. And those are the words that I want to share with you today. Because that鈥檚 what UMB is. UMB is a place where we all understand that everybody else matters just as much as we do. And so, if you want to give me a gift, make sure that you are the kind of people who matter most.鈥�
