New task force seeking community input on renaming Little Hall
A new 12-member task force has been appointed by University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy to make recommendations on the renaming of UMaine’s Little Hall.
A website has been created to collect community input for consideration by the C.C. Little Hall Name Task Force. The site, with an online submission form, is taking suggestions, recommendations and advice through Sept. 18, 2020.
In her June 29 community message, President Ferrini-Mundy announced that she will request that the University of Maine System Board of Trustees remove the name of Clarence C. Little from the academic building. Little served as UMaine president from 1922–25.
UMaine will submit a request to the University of Maine System Facilities/Finance/Technology Committee for consideration at its September meeting. The naming of University of Maine physical facilities is covered by University of Maine System policy.
In its June 23 report, the 10-member C.C. Little Hall Name Task Force chaired by Kenda Scheele, associate vice president for student life, noted that “a combination of the historical record about the career of C.C. Little, and the goal to create and maintain a university topography representative of current institutional values, compels a renaming of Little Hall.”
President Ferrini-Mundy noted in her letter to the members of the new task force, which includes some who served on the first group, “the University of Maine continues to engage swiftly and deliberately in opportunities to take actions for meaningful change.”
“The next step in the sequence of action items designed to address specific issues of racism and exclusivity is to convene a task force to review recommendations for renaming Little Hall,” the President said in her letter.
Scheele also chairs the new task force charged with providing recommendations on names for the building.
contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu