Kim named associate vice chancellor for academic innovation and partnerships
University of Maine Vice President for Research Carol Kim has been named associate vice chancellor for academic innovation and partnerships with the University of Maine System, effective July 1.
In the position, Kim, who also serves as dean of UMaine’s Graduate School, will work to develop and strengthen research, scholarship and academic collaborations across the seven UMS campuses, and help identify and foster opportunities for community partnerships. The focus is on innovation and partnerships that enhance the student experience and benefit the people of Maine, while improving UMS enrollment and retention, and achieving integration and efficiencies across the campuses.
Initiatives are expected to include facilitating development of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional master’s programs, and exploring expanded educational opportunities between UMS and the Maine Community College System.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. Kim to the UMS team,” says Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Robert Neely. “She clearly can contribute in many ways to ongoing Academic Transformation initiatives. In particular, her breadth of administrative experience at the University of Maine provides an ideal opportunity to expand the concept of One University into the research realm, and to continue to build collaborative graduate programs that can serve all UMS campuses and regions of Maine.”
Kim joined the UMaine community in 1998 as an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences. She established the Zebrafish Facility on campus, a shared resource for university researchers, and pioneered the use of the zebrafish model for infectious disease research. Kim’s research has been supported by numerous federal and state funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASA.
In 2008, Kim was named director of UMaine’s Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering. She has served as vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School since 2013.
Under her leadership as vice president and graduate dean, Kim led the merger of the Research Office and Graduate School into one organization, and established the Grant Development Office to assist faculty in identifying funding opportunities and proposal development. Kim’s major research initiatives included the UMS-wide Aging Initiative, focused on the major aging-related challenges in Maine, and implementing the return of a percentage of indirect costs to professors to incentivize and stimulate research productivity. During Kim’s tenure, research showed a 22 percent increase in awards, and graduate enrollment has grown in the past two years.
“We are excited about this new opportunity for Carol, and for the potential of this University of Maine System initiative for the state,” says Jeffrey Hecker, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Achieving greater integration, collaboration and efficiency across the seven public university campuses will benefit our faculty and students, and will provide educational and research partnerships that will advance Maine.”
Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745