Jeff St. John Named Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

Upon the recommendation of Provost Designate Jeffrey Hecker, University of Maine President Paul W. Ferguson has named Dr. Jeffrey St. John as associate provost for academic affairs, effective Sept. 1, 2013. Dr. St. John has been appointed to a two-year term.

Dr. St. John is currently an associate dean for the UMaine Division of Lifelong Learning. He also directs the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Assessment.

President Ferguson commented, “I am highly pleased and enthusiastic about this new role for Dr. St. John. Jeff has distinguished himself as one of the impactful thought leaders on campus and is thoroughly dedicated to faculty development. In this capacity, Jeff will be a valued partner with Provost Hecker and all constituencies at UMaine.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the institution in this role and I look forward to working closely with Provost Hecker on faculty development opportunities, outcomes-based assessment and related academic initiatives,” St. John said.

Dr. St. John received his Ph.D. in communication studies (rhetorical theory and criticism) from the University of Washington in 2000. He earned an M.A. in communication and journalism from UMaine in 1996 and a B.A. in communication studies from Eastern Washington University in 1994. His primary research interests are in political communication, communication theory, public sphere studies and freedom of speech.

St. John joined the UMaine faculty in 2008 from Ohio University, where he served as associate professor in the School of Communication Studies and as a faculty fellow in residence in the Honors Tutorial College.

Since 2008, St. John has directed UMaine’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Assessment. In 2009, he became a cooperating associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism. In 2011, he served a year as interim director of Continuing and Distance Education, and was named director in July 2012. Since that time, he also has been associate dean for academic infrastructure and instructional support in the Division of Lifelong Learning.