UMaine Presidential Search Team Selected

Contact:  Tracy Bigney 973-3234; Peggy Markson 973-3245

BANGOR—The University of Maine System announced today the members of a search committee tasked with making recommendations for the next leader for the System’s land grant and sea grant institution located in Orono.   Earlier this year, UMaine President Robert Kennedy announced his intention to step down from the position in June of 2011.

“The search committee has a great responsibility.  It is vital that there be a national search to identify and appoint a person with the vision and skills needed to lead UMaine at this crucial and challenging time,” stated Lyndel J. Wishcamper, chair of the UMS Board of Trustees.

The search committee will be chaired by Eleanor “Ellie” Baker of Cape Elizabeth, who also serves on the UMS Board of Trustees and is a graduate of both the University of Maine and the University of Maine School of Law.  The committee will provide recommendations to UMS Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude.

“I’m delighted that Trustee Baker has agreed to chair the search, as an alumna and participant on advisory boards, she has an excellent sense of the university,” Pattenaude said.  “The University of Maine is at a critical juncture so we must be sure that we select an individual who understands the university and its importance to the state.”

Baker noted, “UMaine is the System’s flagship university—and serves a statewide mission, so the president of this university plays an important role in Maine.  Our search committee represents a broad cross-section of the UMaine community which is key to helping us make the best possible recommendations.”

Baker added that, in addition to students, faculty, staff, and trustees, the committee also includes alums, a community member, and a member of UMaine’s board of visitors.

Other search committee members are UMS trustees Charles O’ Leary of Orono and Michelle Hood of Bar Harbor; UMaine faculty members Harlan Onsrud, Robert Rice, and Stephanie Welcomer; UMaine staff Joseph Szelesta, Ranee Dow, and Jeffrey Hecker; UMaine students James Beaupre, Nathaniel Wildes, and Katie Foster (alternate); James Goff of the UMaine board of visitors; and John Rohman, community member.

The search committee will commence its work at the end of the summer.  A new leader is expected to be named before Kennedy leaves the position next year.

About the University of Maine

The University of Maine, founded in 1865, is the state’s largest public university, located in the town of Orono. It is among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast and attracts students from across the U.S. and more than 60 countries. It currently enrolls 12,000 total undergraduate and graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking research working with world-class scholars. Students are offered 88 bachelor’s degree programs, 64 master’s degree programs, 25 doctoral programs and one of the oldest and most prestigious honors programs in the U.S. The university promotes environmental stewardship on its campus, with substantial efforts aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building standards in new construction. For more information about the University of Maine visit here.

About the University of Maine System

Established in 1968, the University of Maine System is the state’s largest educational enterprise. It has an annual enrollment of more than 42,000 students and serves over 500,000 individuals annually through educational and cultural offerings. The University of Maine System features seven universities – some with multiple campuses – located across the state, as well as nine University College outreach centers, a law school, and an additional 75 interactive distance learning sites. For more information, visit here.