Hecker Nominated to Dean Post
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
Note: a photo of Dean Hecker is available upon request
ORONO — Jeffrey Hecker, a University of Maine psychology professor since 1986, has been appointed dean of UMaine’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The appointment is subject to ratification by the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, which will vote on the recommendation at its May 18-19 meeting in Presque Isle.
Hecker has served as the college’s interim dean since October 2007. UMaine President Robert Kennedy selected him for the dean’s post following a national search.
“Jeff is an accomplished educator and a respected leader in our community,” Kennedy says. “He has served UMaine and its students most ably as a professor, department chair and interim dean and I am certain that he will do an outstanding job in this new role. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will benefit greatly from his leadership.”
The College of Liberal Arts and Science is the largest of UMaine’s five degree-granting colleges. It offers more than 40 undergraduate degrees, in addition to master’s degrees and doctorates, through its 17 departments. It is Maine’s largest liberal arts college, with more than 240 faculty members.
Hecker graduated from the University of Illinois – Urbana and earned a psychology Ph.D. from UMaine in 1986. His research focuses on risk assessment for people who have committed sexual offenses, including adolescents. He is the author of more than 30 scholarly articles, along with the books “Agoraphobia and Panic: A Guide to Psychological Treatment” and “Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice and Ethics,” co-authored with UMaine professor Geoffrey Thorpe.