News & Events
Strategic Enrollment & Retention Action Plan
Latest SEM Action Plan News
Kevin Coughlin named UMaine vice president for enrollment management
March 23, 2023. Kevin Coughlin, vice president for enrollment management and services at Florida International University with a more than 20-year career in student recruitment and retention, has been named vice president for enrollment management at the University of Maine, effective June 16.
In 2014, Coughlin was named Florida International University registrar and, in 2017, interim vice president for enrollment management and services. He has served as vice president for enrollment management and services since 2018.
Coughlin has a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.
Applications open for prospective Maine Learning Assistants
March 15, 2023. Applications to become a Maine Learning Assistants (MLA) for the fall 2023 semester are now available.
MLAs serve as peer instructors, facilitating group work and assisting faculty as they transform their course to incorporate more interactive-engagement and student-centered instruction. MLAs learn to use innovative, research-based instructional strategies, develop relevant pedagogical skills, deepen their content understanding and have the opportunity to explore their interest in STEM teaching, while participating in a vibrant community of peers and faculty.
UMaine earns Military-Friendly School designation
March 8, 2023. The University of Maine has been designated a 2023–2024 Military Friendly School and ranked among the top performers nationwide in veteran student support and success during and after college.
Military Friendly School designations, administered by the veteran-owned business VIQTORY, are granted to colleges and universities that have high retention, graduation and job placement rates among veterans and other students. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2023-2024 survey, according to VIQTORY.
Whitfield named UMaine chief marketing and communications officer
February 13, 2023. Following a University of Maine System-wide search, Meredith Whitfield, chief of staff to University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, has been named UMaine chief marketing and communications officer, effective March 1.
Whitfield has been a member of the UMaine community since October 2021. Among her multiple responsibilities as chief of staff and a member of the President’s Cabinet, Whitfield has been responsible for drafting key institutional communications, advancing engagement with university constituents on and off campus, guiding and supporting strategic initiatives, and assisting in establishing UMaine’s reputation and relationship with the external community.
SEM Action Plan Events
Gateways to Success (GTS) Open Forum
March 28, 1:00 – 2:30
Bumps Room, Memorial Union
For those interested in learning more about the GTS pilots beginning this fall and possibly applying for future rounds of GTS funding. The Gateways to Success (GTS) initiative, funded in part by the Harold Alfond Foundation, uses evidence-based instructional support to increase first- and second-year student success in the courses that most delay their degree progress. Planning is currently underway for the GTS pilots beginning in fall 2023.
This open forum will provide opportunities to learn more about the work being done and to engage in the conversation as we learn from one another about the successes, challenges, and opportunities we face in the effort to improve undergraduate success in Gateway courses and beyond.