Campus Communications
Dear UMaine colleagues,
As we settle into a new semester, I am pleased to share several updates from our Facilities Management (FM) division.
After many years of dedicated service to this university, Geremy Chubbuck, Associate Executive Director of FM, left UMaine earlier this month to pursue other opportunities. Geremy was an integral part of our team and played a major role in the university’s highly-regarded response to the pandemic. We are extremely grateful for the excellent work he performed in service to the UMaine community.
Another valued member of the FM team, Stewart Harvey, Executive Director of Facilities and Capital Management Services, will soon begin a partial phased retirement. As many of you know, Stewart plays an outsized role in facilities management on campus and will continue to be instrumental in helping us envision the future of this division until he reaches full retirement.
In May 2024, the university completed a facilities management study and an updated five-year capital plan (FY25-29) for UMaine and UMaine Machias. We learned a lot through the process and have taken several key steps in response. We formed the president’s space advisory committee to help analyze and determine how to best use space on our campus. Similarly, President Ferrini-Mundy and Dr. Kody Varahramyan, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, have created a research facilities working group to focus on research space needs. We are listening to faculty, staff, and student feedback regarding our facilities and are grateful for robust engagement. Given Stewart and Geremy’s retirements I am updating the leadership structure within Facilities Management to support our operations and staff and to meet the university’s needs. The structural changes within the division will help maximize available resources and enable our talented and hardworking facilities staff to better support our communities. Review our new organizational structure here.
As part of this reorganization, the space and capital management team will report directly to Kelly Sparks, Vice President for Finance and Administration) effective immediately. Historically, this team reported to Stewart Harvey. Our space and capital management team will continue to work closely with the University of Maine System capital planning and project management team.
We will soon launch a search for Stewart’s replacement. This critical position is key to the future of our facilities oversight; its number one priority will be to create a work plan to address the opportunities for improvement that were highlighted in the facilities management study.
As we look toward the future, I offer my sincere thanks to the members of UMaine’s facilities management team for the incredible work they do to keep our daily operations running smoothly. Their work is vital to this institution.
For facilities concerns, please submit a work order or call the work control number at 207-581-4400.
I will continue to provide updates on our plans and progress as we move forward. In the meantime, best wishes for a safe, productive, and healthy semester.
Sincerely,
Kelly Sparks
Vice President for Finance and Administration & Chief Business Officer