Throughout his career, his commitment to diversity, access, affordability and academic excellence earned him global recognition.  Among other important national leadership positions, Dr. Kirwan was past chair the National Research Council’s Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW), the American Council for Higher Education, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the Business Higher Education Forum.

In 2016, he was appointed by the Maryland Governor and General Assembly to chair a commission, now called the Kirwan Commission, to make recommendations that would enable Maryland’s PreK-12 schools to perform at the level of the best performing schools in the world.  The commission’s recommendations were enacted in a bill, The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future,  with a 10-year implementation plan and a  $4B increase in funding by the 10^th year.