Office of the President
The 21st-Century USM
From: President Selma Botman
January 12, 2009
Dear Colleagues:
At least once per month, if not more often, I’ll be sending you updates under the title, “The 21st-Century USM.” Many of these updates will focus on budgetary issues. Others will share news about the many accomplishments of our faculty, students and staff.
News about our successes are important because one easily could argue that optimism is in short supply given the sobering nature of the fiscal challenges before us. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that this university continues to look to the future in many valuable, and often less visible, ways.
My Presentation to the UMS Board of Trustees
See the complete presentation here.
Trustees Confirm Appointment of New USM Provost
Dear Colleagues:
It is with great pride and excitement that I write to inform you that I have selected Kate Forhan, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) in Chicago, as our new provost.
The University of Maine System Board of Trustees confirmed the appointment at its meeting held this afternoon, Monday, January 12, in Gorham.
Kate will be joining us on Wednesday, April 1, thanks to the diligence and hard work of the search committee, under Chair David Nutty. Interim Provost Mark Lapping, who will make himself available to mentor our new provost, will return to the faculty. We owe both the search committee and Mark a debt of gratitude.
Kate is an accomplished academic, a strong leader and someone who is committed to public higher education. She brings to us a well-deserved reputation as an agent of change at Northeastern Illinois. She will be an invaluable partner with me as we continue to advance and refocus USM.
Under Kate’s nearly seven-year tenure as dean of NEIU’s College of Arts and Sciences, the number of majors and graduates of the College increased by more than 20 percent; the general education curriculum was revised; new programs were introduced; student internships were strengthened; and the College’s first endowment and faculty leadership development programs were established. NEIU is a comprehensive state university of 12,000 students. Its College of Arts and Sciences is the largest, including 25 academic programs, 14 graduate programs and more than 300 faculty.
Prior to joining NEIU in 2002, Kate served as a faculty member in political science at Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., for 17 years, and directed the Siena Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. The American Political Science Association and the honorary society Pi Sigma Alpha presented her with an Outstanding Teaching Award in 2001. In the 1970s, she was a lecturer in English and American civilization at a post-baccalaureate college on the campus of the University of Bordeaux in France.
Kate earned her Ph.D. in political science from The Johns Hopkins University and her B.A. and M.A degrees from the University of California.
I’m sure you will join me in welcoming her to our community.
