Dr. Paul W. Ferguson
President, University of Maine

Paul W. Ferguson became the 19^th president of the University of Maine in July 2011.

A Southern California native, President Ferguson is a Whittier College graduate who earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology at the University of California, Davis in 1981. He is an accomplished health scientist with a 30-year record of scholarship as an award-winning professor in the fields of toxicology and public health. President Ferguson rose through the academic ranks, leading research and outreach efforts in four states to assess and reduce potential health risks from chemical exposures. During this time, Dr. Ferguson also worked as a senior toxicologist for Unocal Corporation, a Los Angeles-based international energy resources company.

Since 1993, Dr. Ferguson has progressed through academic administration, initially serving as vice provost and dean of graduate studies and research at the University of Louisiana, Monroe. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was vice president for research and graduate studies. Prior to joining the University of Maine, Dr. Ferguson was at the Edwardsville campus of Southern Illinois University, where he was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

As a campus leader highly regarded for his commitment to engagement, inclusivity and quality, President Ferguson has a demonstrated record of university transformations in the areas of increased research and economic development, university-community partnerships, student success, faculty development and academic quality.

Currently, President Ferguson is leading an inclusive, campus-wide planning and implementation process to elevate the University of Maine to new levels of excellence as the most distinctive 21^st-century land-grant university of its kind in the nation.