Ronald Nowaczyk, Frostburg State University’s 15th president, died of cancer on Friday.

Nowaczyk, 74, announced two weeks ago that he would step down from the presidency at the end of the month.

“Nowaczyk noted that leading FSU for the past nine years was the honor and privilege of his career and remembered his time at Frostburg as the highlight of his life’s work,” according to a statement from the Western Maryland university. “Together, with the assistance of the campus community, Nowaczyk accomplished much of which to be proud.”

The university announced last week that Darlene Brannigan Smith, a professor and former provost at the University of Baltimore, would serve as interim president while the University System of Maryland plans a national search for a permanent leader.

In its announcement of Nowaczyk’s death, the university listed a plethora of accomplishments that the former president was proud of, including adding two new nursing degrees and eight online certificates designed for working adults.

Nowaczyk also built a joint master’s degree program in environmental management with the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as a pharmacy program partnership with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

In addition, Nowaczyk championed “the improvement and expansion of infrastructure on campus,” which includes a new Education and Health Sciences Center.

“Nowaczyk was proud of FSU for being the state’s only comprehensive higher education institution in Western Maryland and its unique position to serve as a catalyst for economic growth throughout the region,” according to the university.

The regional university has dealt with some financial issues in the wake of state budget cuts and enrollment declines. Earlier this year, Frostburg was facing a $7.7 million deficit, though after some layoffs and building closures, the university seems to have weathered the storm.

In his final message to Frostburg on Jan. 15, Nowaczyk thanked the campus community members for supporting him during his illness.

“I want to express my personal and heartfelt thanks to each of you who have come to see me, reached out to express your support, share your similar experiences, write me a note to lift my spirits, or simply tell me I am in your thoughts and prayers,” he wrote two weeks before his death. “The difficulties I have faced have been made infinitely easier because of your kindness.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.