Hecker named senior advisor, Gilbert interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost
University of Maine executive vice president for academic affairs and provost Jeffrey Hecker has been named senior advisor to President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, effective Sept. 1.
As senior advisor, Hecker will assist the university in key strategic areas, including UMaine’s budget development and implementation process. In the 2018–19 academic year, President Ferrini-Mundy and Provost Hecker led a process to identify the strategic vision and values that will guide UMaine, including its regional campus — the University of Maine at Machias — over the next several years. Strategic plan implementation emanating from this work will roll out in fall 2019.
Hecker was named UMaine vice president and provost Sept. 1, 2013. Prior to leading the Division of Academic Affairs, he served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and as chair of the Department of Psychology. Hecker received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UMaine in 1986 and joined the faculty that year as director of the Psychological Services Center.
“I am pleased that Jeff has agreed to serve in this important new role,” says Ferrini-Mundy. “I have deep respect for Jeff’s leadership and vision, and for the difference he has made in higher education in Maine and beyond. His contributions and commitment to UMaine are exemplary, and I look forward to collaborating with him in his new capacity.”
Faye Gilbert, dean of the Undergraduate School of Business in the Maine Business School, will serve as interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost while a national search is conducted. Gilbert, who joined the UMaine community March 1, will continue to serve as dean during her interim appointment.
Before joining UMaine, Gilbert had been dean of the College of Business and Economic Development and a professor of marketing at the University of Southern Mississippi since 2013. She also served as business dean at Radford University and at Georgia College. At the University of Mississippi from 1989–2003, her academic career included promotion to full professor and service as associate dean of the MBA program. She holds a Ph.D. in marketing with an emphasis in applied statistics from the University of North Texas, and an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745