Professor Amy Fried Has Retired
In Fall 1997, Professor Amy Fried came to the University of Maine as part of a group of faculty members whose initial years were supported by an initiative of the Stephen and Tabitha Foundation to buttress the social sciences and humanities. Fried retired before the 2023-2024 academic year.
During her years as part of the department, Fried taught a broad variety of courses, from the introductory course to upper-level courses on American Political Thought, American Public Opinion, Political Behavior and Participation, and Women and Politics, as well as a variety of senior seminars. Fried focused on cultivating an atmosphere of mutual respect and the development of critical thinking, careful argumentation and verbal and writing skills. She also enjoyed working with students on developing their research projects and in helping them think about their education and future careers.
For close to 25 years, Fried worked with UMaine students who were part of the Maine Public Policy Scholars program, which involves students and faculty members from all of the University of Maine System campuses. At various times, Prof. Fried was the faculty advisor to the UMaine College Republicans, College Democrats, and Young Americans for Liberty.
Professor Fried’s research largely focused on the history and political uses of public opinion. Besides her shorter scholarly works, she published three books: Muffled Echoes: Oliver North and the Politics of Public Opinion (Columbia University Press, 1997); Pathways to Polling: Crisis, Cooperation, and the Making of Public Opinion Professions (Routledge Press, 2012); and, with Prof. Douglas B. Harris At War With Government: How Conservatives Weaponized Distrust from Goldwater to Trump (Columbia University Press, 2021). With Prof. Erin O’Brien, Fried is the co-editor of and contributor to a forthcoming volume on New England politics, to be published by the University of Massachusetts Press later in 2024.
Prof. Fried was frequently sought out by local, state, national and international media for her commentary. She was the first member and leader of the Maine chapter of the national Scholars Strategy Network. In addition, Fried served as Associate Dean for Research for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and as Political Science Department Chair. She was an originator of a multi-million dollar National Science Foundation grant-funded project to develop UMaine programs to enhance work-life balance at UMaine and to improve the recruitment, retention and advancement of women faculty. In 2024-2025 Fried will be the President of the New England Political Science Association.
Prof. Fried won the Rising Tide Career Recognition Award and the Presidential Public Service Award from the University of Maine and was named Outstanding Faculty Member for Service and Outreach by UMaine’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. An academic paper on Alexis de Tocqueville and social capital was the recipient of the John C. Donovan Prize.
In thinking back to her career, now-Professor Emerita Amy Fried says, “Being a faculty member is the greatest job in the world, as far as I’m concerned. I loved the mix of activities with students, my department colleagues and other faculty members; as well as doing various projects and working on my research and writing.”