Andrew Egan named UMM vice president and head of campus

Andrew Egan has been named vice president for academic affairs and head of campus at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM), effective Aug. 13.

Egan was one of four finalists in the national search for the next leader of the regional campus of the University of Maine. As UMM vice president and head of campus, Egan will report to UMaine President Susan J. Hunter.

This past year, UMM’s leadership team has been headed by Kay Kimball, who had a one-year appointment as head of campus and vice president for academic affairs. Kimball’s contract ending July 1 has been extended to Aug. 30.

“We welcome Dr. Egan back to Maine and we extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Kimball for her leadership in the first year of the primary partnership between UMM and UMaine,” says Hunter. “Andrew will build on the strong foundation Kay and her leadership team have established at the University of Maine at Machias. We are committed to getting UMM on a sustainable path that ensures its future as an educational, cultural, economic and financial hub of the Down East region it serves.”

Egan currently has a yearlong post at a Peace Corps forestry training institute in Liberia. His 20-year career in academic leadership in the United States and Canada includes his most recent post as Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer for Penn State — Greater Allegheny Campus.

In 1998–2004, he was a UMaine associate professor of forest resources and the program coordinator in forest engineering. His research has focused on the interactions between silviculture and the environment, and the socioeconomic and ecological dimensions of watershed restoration. Egan holds a Ph.D. in forest resources from Penn State.

Search committee member Marjorie Withers, a Maine business owner who serves on the UMM Board of Visitors, says Egan is an “outstanding choice.”

“He comes back to Maine with a varied work history that shows his competencies both on and off campus,” says Withers. “Dr. Egan has the rare ability to truly listen and to lead. Both gifts are apparent when one spends time with him. (He) is a person who has vision and a passionate dedication. I know he will enrich our University (of Maine) System and change its future in extremely positive ways.”

Promoting enrollment growth, increasing efficiencies, and advancing program and research opportunities are the goals at the heart of the primary partnership between UMaine and the University of Maine at Machias. In the year since the primary partnership was introduced, UMaine and UMM have worked diligently to bring forward strategic goals in administrative integration, curriculum and program alignment, and structure and governance.

July 1, 2017, UMM became a regional campus of UMaine, while maintaining its mission, degree programs and leadership role in the community. UMM’s faculty report to the vice president for academic affairs and head of campus, who leads the UMM campus and serves on the UMaine President’s Cabinet, and the Deans’ and Provost’s councils.

UMM will be incorporated under UMaine’s accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and will continue to award baccalaureate degrees. For students on both campuses, the proposed partnership has the potential to broaden the portfolios of academic and research opportunities — from shared courses and transfer programs to advanced degree pathways. For graduate students, it also could provide teaching opportunities.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745